Remembering Bluebell
by Kenz-thewildcat
Summary: In Remembering Bluebell the main character, Kenz, is sent from her hometown Konohana to a neighboring town Bluebell with the objective of making the two hated towns one again.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Sucks Weed**

"Bluebell is…lame?" I heard my friend Ying utter. Her insult (a poor one at that) became a question and lost its glory rapidly.

"You gotta put some heart in it!" Even though Kana was whispering in Ying's ear, I clearly understood what he told her. I mean, they had this discussion at least five times every day. "Like this...Bluebell sucks weed!" Kana yelled this time, and there was no question as to whether or not the teenagers on the other side of the mine could hear him.

We were only three teenagers, but that was hardly an excuse for the immature thing we were doing today. Actually, it was more of a daily ritual, how we snuck into the abandoned mine tunnel. The tunnel used to connect two happy, friendly villages, until it caved in. Now the members of both the villages, Konohana and Bluebell, hate each other. My friends and I huddled in the darkness each evening, only to shout insults and jeers to the teenagers of Bluebell on the other side. We always got a response.

I only heard the "Konohana" part of the retort thorough the rocks, but that was because I tuned out the profanity stringed onto the end of their insult.

"Bluebell sucks weed!" I heard Ying yell out confidently, and I felt Kana tense as the realization set in.

"Look, you're turning our precious Ying into a dirty bully!" Even though I was the motherly figure of the group that never resorted to insulting the village on the other side of the block in the tunnel, I was just kidding when I said that to Kana.

"Impossible! Heck, the girl still carries around a panda bear stuffed animal for heaven's sake."

"Gee, be nice. Mother gave me Moo." Kana and I both spontaneously decided to change the subject. None of us, not even Ying knew for sure who gave Ying the panda. We liked to imagine it was a kind, loving mother, but we all were fairly sure Ying had never had one. She was raised by her "grandmother" who had found her abandoned up in the mountains, holding the stuffed animal she called "Moo."

"Wow, very smooth of you. Using two of the same jeer in a row. That all you got, Konohana?" We all heard the boy yell through the rocks, but decided not to respond.

"Seriously guys, lets go. We are the better village, and we can leave before we say something we regret." I said to my companions.

My friends both got up, and we followed the path by the light coming from the outside of the old mine tunnel. "I would stay, but I got to go take care of the horses. Hayate will literally start eating the others if he doesn't have food sometime soon." No matter how much of a bad boy Kana pretends to be, Ying and I will always know he's a sucker when it comes to his horses and their safety.

Kana didn't have parents either, but he was strong about it. When his parents passed away, he was only sixteen and he took care of the family horse renting business. When people from far away towns stopped through Konohana on their way to the mountains, they would rent a horse from him. He made a good sum of money, and Kana obviously enjoyed the company Hayate and his hoofed friends gave him.

Kana, now eighteen, Ying, fourteen, and I, sixteen, were all fairly close friends and we talked all the time. It used to be just Kana and me, spending practically every second together. He taught me how to hand fish in the river at the bottom of the mountain. I taught him how to plant crops at my ranch, but of course his puny turnip didn't earn me any money. We loved each other, but had only ever been friends. Our relationship still wasn't like brother and sister though. It was pretty obvious Kana liked me. He gave me those puppy dog looks all the time, and totally freaked out every time I didn't show up at his doorstep promptly at ten every morning. But Kana never did cross any lines.

We started to notice Ying around town, humming to herself and sitting on rocks just staring at the butterflies fluttering over her head. Yeah, it was sad, so I took her under my wing. Kana, of course, was game for anything I suggested, and he made a great effort to become friends with her. It worked, and now I have more that one buddy by my side. Even though Ying is still a little shy, (and is never seen without her "Moo"), she has made really great progress.

My thinking was just then interrupted by giggling. "Oh, look who it is, Muscles, Panda and Green Thumb."

My first instinct was to throw my arm in front of Kana to keep him from flinging himself at the girls that had just crossed our path. I knew he was too weak to resist the temptation to beat up the bullies, even though they were girls. "Kana, don't even think about it." I whispered so quietly I wondered if Kana could even hear me.

"Reina, Nori, what have we ever done to you?" I said to the girls.

I heard some whispering on their part about stealing a hot guy to share, and the word yummy multiple times before the two erupted into a fit of giggles, _again._

Reina was the one who spoke to us first. "Well, you guys were just looking so dorky, we couldn't help it. She shook her head, and her long braids jerked around. Not for the first time, I was stunned by the beauty and unusualness of her hair. It was cut short, chin length all around, but in the back a few locks were left long. Today they were braided.

"If you guys really think our village is so much better than Bluebell's you need to get along with every member of Konohana. Even us." Ying surprised us all when she spoke, her voice barley above a hiccup.

Now Nori stood foreword. "Fine, dorks. Can't spend too much time out here with the nerd herd anyway or my hair will frizz."

These girls annoyed me so much, I couldn't help it. Of course I didn't say anything mean; I just had to say something. "Nori, you should be ashamed of yourself. If only your poor old grandfather knew how you acted. He would be so disappointed in you he would send you back to your Mom and Pop."

Nori gasped and turned on a heel. "How dare you suggest such a thing? If Gombe could walk all the way down here and see you guys yelling at the Bluebell kids, he would flip his lid and call Ina in. Then she would kick you all out faster that you can blink crop dust out of your eyes." Ina was the mayor our town Konohana. It was true, she was so stern she would kick us out without a second thought.

"Come on girls, stop fighting." Kana spoke now, stepping between Nori and me before something terrible could happen. "No more bickering, okay? If we can't be friends, lets at least stay away from each other, all right?"

Reina replied: "Can't argue with that logic," before grabbing Nori's hand and pulling her around us, and continuing to head the opposite direction down the path. But she stopped and whispered something in Ying's ear before they went on their way.

Whatever Reina had said to her left Ying shaking and holding Moo like a lifeline. I quickly thought of something to get Ying's mind off of whatever Reina had hissed in her ear. "Well, they're not really good at hiding the fact they have the hots for you Kana, are they?" I smiled and glanced at Kana, and could understand what they saw in him.

He had large, dark almond shaped eyes that were kind and open, that were always just begging you to let go of your secrets. His shoulder length hair was messily thrown back into a ponytail, making him look both boyish and grown up. The way it was so casually thrown back everyday made him look important, like he had better things to do than to play with his hair. Of course, Kana did have better things to do, including running his own business. He wore a cut off sweatshirt that he could amazingly keep from looking trashy. And two delicate rings of Japanese character symbol tattoos took up a few inches of his heavily muscled arms. I think Kana noticed me staring.

He chose not to respond, just to stare back at me. Ying interrupted our intimate moment and we both jumped. "Kana, you could be dating either one of those two." She meant Reina and Nori, I assured myself.

"And why would I do that? They're jerks!"

"True dat." I said and we all laughed. The three of us started walking back on our way down the path, listening to the birds chirping and enjoying the feel of the sun on our backs.

"I need to get back to the ranch. My crops will all die if I don't water them soon…"

"And I am sure my grandma will need help in the tea shop." Ying said as we stopped where the path forked.

Kana walked straight to his house, Ying turned right to the busier part of the village where her "grandma" lived and worked, and I went left to the next path that would take me to my ranch.

We all yelled our goodbyes, and then I escaped to the serenity of my ranch.

I could hear cicadas running their obnoxious cycles and smell the rich scent of the earth. My favorite place in the world lied in front of me. The whole village of Konohana wasn't really that big at all, so of course my ranch was almost nothing. Not the acres over acres of straight rows of vegetables and apple trees one would probably imagine, but still, the food I grew supported the great majority of our village.

I could see the turnips and potatoes and radishes I was currently growing, and felt good to know that they were all mine. And between the patches of tea leaves and orange trees was a little serpentine path that led to my house and twisted Behind to a small vacant chicken coop and empty barn that had room for a cow or two and a few chickens.

The house itself was flat-out adorable. It was very small, with a red thatched roof and large shingles that overlapped one another. It had a window pot that was overfilling with flowers and the whole placed seeped happiness. Colorful paper lanterns hung from the eves, decorated with exotic cherry blossoms. I just sat down, leaning my back against a tree trunk to absorb all the overfilling emotions coming through me. _Konohana was so great,_ I thought, _why shouldn't I let Kana insult Bluebell?_ There was no way Bluebell could ever compare to this.

The next day I was watering my flowers when someone came up behind me. I jumped, and when I lost my grip on the hose I felt the cool splash of water on my skin. When I turned, the hose was still going and it sprayed the boy who had startled me.

Right when I got my breath, I threw myself into hysterics again, this time laughing at a dripping-wet Kana. He stood there, mouth open, looking like a wet rat. His clothes stuck to his body so I could see the muscle underneath. Despite the fact that I knew I wasn't into him in that way, I could still appreciate how attractive he was.

Kana started laughing; shaking his wet hair and pointing at my crotch. Of course, the only part of my clothes that were wet was the crotch of my pants. It successfully looked like I had wet myself. We both stood there for awhile, lost in our laughs. When I finally pulled myself together, again, I yelled: "Kana! Why did you scare me like that?"

He chuckled. "Didn't mean to. I just wanted to talk." I hit the dial on the hose, causing the water flow to cease.

"And you couldn't have waited… how long is it again?" I teased him, mimicking looking down at a watch on my arm. A half hour until I came by your place?"

"I was…bored." Kana blushed slightly and his voice sounded young and vulnerable.

"What was it that you needed to tell me?"

"There's a cooking festival tomorrow. I wondered if you could help me cook."

Shoot. That was right. It was about the time for another cooking festival at the mountain top. These things are pretty important, so I kicked myself in the butt for not remembering.

"Kana, you have lived in Konohana for what, eighteen years of your life? Do you not yet know that no one can help you cook your dish for the festival? If the Bluebell mayor finds out, he will happily disqualify Konohana from the contest, which will prove that Bluebell is better than Konohana. Which it's not, by the way." I smiled at that last bit.

"Well I just thought that you could teach me something, like how to turn on a stove?" He grinned down at me sheepishly.

"Kana, why you have a kitchen I do not know. Well the gourmet, Pierre, who is judging the contest, said that we need to enter a salad. And as far as you are concerned, that does not require an oven."

"Ah. Forgive me."

"So that's the reason you scared me out of my wits?" I gestured to my crotch and his body in turn.

Kana grinned. "Is it a crime to want to see you?"

There it was. In a few minutes, an average conversation had turned into a declaration of love. I quickly thought of a way to change the subject, which I seemed to be doing fairly often lately. "How bout you go get Ying and we can meet outside your place and go fishing. Just please give me a little bit so I can finish my farm work and clean up a little."

Kana's face brightened. "Okay, sounds good. Did you want to hand fish in the pond or should I gather my poles so we can fish in the river?"

When we went fishing in the river, we saved our catches to clean later and eat for dinner. But when we decided to hand fish, our puny catches were always returned to the pond. Hand catching was for sport, river fishing was for food.

"Just hand fish, if that's okay. I really don't need any more fish. I mean, I have a whole refrigerator full as it is."

"Yep, that sounds fun. So it's a date?"

"Kana, how can we make a date when we already spend our whole lives less than a mile apart?"

Kana blushed again. And now it was his turn to change the subject. "I need to change too. Then I'll head down to the village and get Ying. Not like she's going to fish with us anyway…" He said. It seemed like he didn't want Ying to come for some reason.

"I know, but she will enjoy spending time with us, and be delighted that we want to spend time with her. Plus I like adding another girl to this party."

Kana laughed, tilting his head back until his long dripping hair brushed against his back. "See ya later, Kenz." I watched him walk away, bending down slightly to keep from hitting his head on the plants hanging overhead. Then I turned the hose back on and got back to work.

I hummed while watering my crops, making my own music that perfectly blended in with all the outside noise. Sparrows chirped along with crickets, the breeze rustled the paper lanterns hanging in the yard, and the tinkling of water falling from a fountain helped me form my song. I inhaled the thick, rich scent of the fertile Konohana soil, and lost myself in the farming. Ina, the Konohana town mayor, was the one who had taught me how to grow crops. I guess you could call her my mother; she always helped me out even though I have lived on my own as long as I can remember.

I remembered the things she had taught me after she helped me plant my first seeds. Ever since she told me to, I always took a deep breath before touching any plant, whether it is fruit, vegetable, flower, tree or weed. That enables nature to touch the calmest, most serene part of your being. If you go wildly picking blossoms and fruits, and chopping down forests at random, Mother Nature won't take kindly to you. And following those principles was exactly how I became such a good farmer. I always respected nature, so she respected me and responded with bountiful harvests to feed friends and fellow villagers (including the horrid girls Reina and Nori).

I believed I was blessed when I was given this opportunity; to come so close in contact to nature with my small farm, rather than using harsh iron tools and the cold metal of electricity. And I always loved what I did. Plowing the fields, sowing the seeds, watering the ground and harvesting the crops took me many hours, but I didn't see any of it as a chore. I took my job, my livelihood and used it like a gift. A present I woke up excitedly everyday to greet.

After I was done with my day's work, I ran into my house and showered at the speed of light. I chose one of the many pairs of blue pants and red shirts to wear out with Kana and Ying. I liked to mix and match and layer clothing to form my ensembles. All the Konohana villagers incorporated the town's sacred blue and red into their outfits, so I always did my part as well.

I quickly brushed my teeth and fixed up a large bottle of green tea I had made myself from leaves I had grown in my garden, and literally skipped out the door. Vaguely I heard bees and smelled honeysuckle as I jogged down the worn out path that connected my ranch to the rest of Konohana. I passed the Smithy and waved at Sheng, the middle-aged owner, before continuing down the path to Kana's house.

He and Ying were sitting on the cement wall outside his house. Kana's hands were folded behind his head; his eyes were closed in the perfect imitation of sleep. Ying, on the other hand, was swinging her feet impatiently and blinking hard like she had something in her eyes. She tightly grasped her stuffed animal. They both perked up like delighted dogs when they heard the familiar sound of my humongous boots on the dirt road.

Kana jumped from the wall and gentlemanly held out his hand to help Ying get down. She grasped his hand awkwardly in her own, but still slipped a little as she tried unsuccessfully to slide down the wall as gracefully as Kana had done. They walked up to me and we headed on our way out to the mountain.

"We aren't going all the way up, are we?" Ying asked fearfully.

"Kana, did you not tell her what we were doing today?" I said, sounding once again like his mother.

"Uh, no. Actually, I fell asleep on the wall and she found me."

_Yeah, right,_ I thought, but let it go. There was no way Kana had really been asleep a moment ago on the wall. "To answer your question, Ying, no were not going all the way up. I thought we would just hand fish for a while at the base."

"Good," she sighed.

When we approached the stream, Ying found a flat, dry rock to sit on and she threw her toy on her lap. "You guys have fun, I'll just watch." She said quietly. This was not the first day we decided to fish and she decided to sit out.

"That's too bad. Are you sure you don't want us to teach you how?" I asked her politely.

"No, that's okay. I can't afford Moo to get dirty." She patted the panda-ish creature on her lap like it was alive. I would have liked to say something along the lines of; _If you don't want it to get dirty, then why would you bring it to the mountain?_ But I held my tongue, like always, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings.

Kana and I headed down near the water, looking for small fish in the crystalline depths. I let my fingers trace the cool water, refreshing myself from the walk in the heat. Then I stood up and moved to a flatter area where I wouldn't lose my balance. Kana moved silently to my side. For a moment it was just us, not Ying, not the slowly flowing water, not the hot sun on our backs, just Kana and I. Then the water stirred ever so slightly and I saw a small blue fish swimming carelessly through the water. That's how good Kana and I were. Not even the fish noticed us there.

I reached down slowly, holding my breath rather than taking deep, calm ones as I would before I touched one of my beloved crops. My hand lowered into the water, closer to the fish. The water wasn't deep at all, just deep enough that I could touch my fingertips to the smooth stony bottom with my elbow still dry and above the water.

Then I lunged, grabbing the fish smoothly without harming it, and pulling it out of the water. I cupped it in my hands so it wouldn't escape back into the water, but moved my fingers so I could peek at it. I vaguely noticed that Kana inched toward me, leaning over so he could look at my catch.

In my palm rested a little fish, all silver and about two inches long. The sunlight peeking through the gaps between my fingers caused it to sparkle; the light danced upon the little flecks of gold and periwinkle in the fish's scales. The fish flopped slightly in my hands and its gills flapped impatiently trying to get some oxygen that wasn't quite so pure. In my hands laid the pure essence of life. A small, living, breathing creature that's life depended entirely on me. I could let it die or release it; the fish's fate relied solely on me.

Kana leaned in closer, his chest brushing against my shoulder and back. I could feel his breath was held too, just waiting to see what I would do. I didn't really like animals at all. Its not that I thought they were filthy personality-less creatures with no right to be here besides human food, it's just that I didn't know much about them. I had grown up in Konohana, the village centered on crops, not Bluebell, the village centered on livestock. I stared at the little being whose life totally depended on me, and I felt powerful, huge, bigger that myself.

I remember Kana whispering in my ear. "Let it go." And that's when I woke up. My hands lowered into the water, fingers separating, and the little fish swam swiftly away under a rock, never to be seen again. The power and beauty of the last few minutes stunned me, and I wondered if I might cry. I finally released the breath I was holding, but my eyes remained on the chilly stream's water.

Ying was what finally awoke me from my trance. "Kenz, it's been over an hour."

Wow, that much time had passed? Amazing. Kana stood up with me and we made our way to the uneven mountain path. Instead of heading back home, to Konohana, we turned left and headed up the mountain hill. Ying organized her little stuffed panda in her hands, and hurried up to follow us. "How far are we going?" She trilled.

Neither Kana nor I responded. It wasn't like we were ignoring her. It was a friendly, peaceful silence+ and Ying knew that. She followed us like a puppy dog, willing to go to the ends of the earth wagging her tail all the way.

It was peaceful, walking up the steady slope of the mountain, feeling the earth close around us in the rocks below, the trees overhead, and the air all around. We walked silently for a time, enjoying each other's company even though we weren't chattering. This wasn't unusual, Kana and Ying both preferred the quiet, and I always had a crazy thought brewing in my mind, so we normally walked together without saying a word. I heard Ying's heavy breathing after a little while, and decided we should stop walking. Kana made the same decision at the same time and we all sat on a fallen tree like three ducks in a row. I pulled out my water bottle, took a sip of the sweetened green tea and offered it to my friends. Ying took a sip first; she looked tired so I handed it to her. Kana took the bottle next, swallowed and passed it over to me. More than an hour had passed since we left the little pond where we had fished, and I had had plenty of time to think about my little episode.

I fished all the time, so I wondered why today of all days it had bothered me so much to see the minute life squirming in my calm grasp. It wasn't my first time fishing, and I love the taste of fish. Like I had told Kana before, I had a fridge full of the stuff, freshly caught, that I was planning on eating for dinner. For some reason, that little fish in particular seemed to pass a message to me. Things are going to change. It's pretty weird, I know, but at the time I didn't realize the message the little physic fishy was passing on to me. My thoughts were bugging me, even though they were not straying very far. At the time all I could think about was that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach and the tingle of my toes I had never felt before.

Tired of musing over this fishy stuff, I struggled for something to say to my friends that would get my mind off of all this. "Kana, what do you think Bluebell looks like?"

He looked kind of stunned, but answered my question straightforward and polite. "I imagine the other side of the mountain looks more or less the same as Konohana's side. It can't be too different, being only so far away." He used his finger and thumb to indicate a small amount of space. "And the same stream, and the same sky, and the same birds, and the same moon, and the same stars. The mountain probably looks a lot like what we are seeing now. But for the village itself, I could only guess.

'I've heard the paths are different, more like big city streets. And there aren't crops and bamboo and beautiful foxtail grasses waving in the breeze. It probably smells." Kana grinned jokingly. "Supposedly there are animals everywhere. Livestock animals like cows and sheep. Besides the fact that there are no crops and lots of furry critters in pens, it's probably not that much different than here."

"But the people," I said "From the voices we hear through the old mine tunnel, they sound cruel. They seem smarter than us, more fierce and cruel"

"You should never judge a book by its cover. Ever though this cover is padlocked, and all the rumors about it are vague."

And that is exactly one of the reasons that I like Kana so much. He can seem rude when he stands up for himself, but deep down there is some wisdom. The words that just came from him were educated and kind. Basically, when you got down to the point, Kana wanted us to treat Bluebell fairly even though we hear terrible things about them. It is actually funny how Kana was up to this wise-cracking yet he enjoyed yelling at Bluebell through the rocks so much. And let me tell you, "Bluebell sucks weed" was not the worst thing that came out of his mouth.

"Why do we even bother with this? Why does Konohana hate Bluebell so much, and vise versa?" By now Kana had got used to the way I change the subject and space out sometimes. The dude had grown up with me, and he like to call me "random-minded".

"I think the mayors used to be great friends. The villages coexisted peacefully, and that's why there is that old tunnel cutting through the mountain. The villages probably traded fresh crops for animal products like milk and eggs. But they got in a fight, and generation after generation has despised the opposite village, and now they still quarrel. The proof is in the blocked mine tunnel down the street from my house."

"That makes since Kana. I wonder if the villages will ever make up."

"I doubt it. It had become a kind of sport for the villages to fight, and compete in cooking competitions against one another. The mayors even have us fighting against each other."

"You know we should stop that."

"You mean the cooking competitions, or the fighting against other teens?"

"You know exactly what I mean. I understand you have fun doing that, but you are really not a kid anymore. Kana, you're eighteen and you have to be responsible. I wish you would start acting as wise as you do with me all the time, and treat everyone else like you treat me."

My words seemed like a verbal slap in the face for Kana, but he eventually understood what I was saying.

"I'll try my best," He said before offering me one of my favorite Kana smiles that revealed a chipped tooth. For some reason, I found the not-perfect teeth so appealing…

Through the whole conversation Ying hadn't said a word, and I wondered what she was doing. Like telepathy, Kana turned his head to look at her just when I wondered what was wrong.

"She's asleep." He whispered. Yes, Ying definitely was sound asleep. She didn't snore, but breathed softly. Her tiny hands grasped her stuffed toy's paws, and she held Moo tightly, even in sleep.

I whispered to Kana. "It looks like we wore her out with the walk. She should get out more often." I smiled over at my two friends on my left side.

"Want to mess with her?" Kana said playfully.

"Why not? I asked, and we both leaned forward to tickle our friend awake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Coughing Gourmet**

I woke up bright and early the day of the cooking festival to the effervescent sound of the birds chirping. I usually liked to sleep in, but some unknown force drove me out of bed that day. It was still a few hours before I would need to even think about doing the farm work, considering it was still dark outside. So I made my way across the room and dug through the refrigerator to see if I had any good left over's.

After munching on my leftover rice, I washed out the dishes and sighed. Waking up early was boring. I went ahead and got dressed in one of my nicest Konohana-based outfits. It was a shirt, button up peasant style that was pale blue. I also wore my skin-tight jeans with a miniskirt over them. A dark blue half-vest and matching headband finished the ensemble. Yes, we dress dorky in Konohana. But it's still the cutest, matching, multi-layer dorky apparel ever found. I smiled at myself in the mirror.

And just like everyday, what I saw disturbed me. It is not that I was ugly. Actually, I thought I was very pretty. I had large, expressive blue-gray eyes and shoulder length brown hair with lots of layers and thick bangs. We didn't have make-up in Konohana, because we never spent our money on things like that. It is not that I needed the makeup, my face was naturally perky and my smile warmed it up more than powder ever could.

What bothered me was that I was white. Now don't get me wrong, I have a sexy farmer's tan, but I am white as in not Asian. Everyone in Konohana was Asian. They moved to our island from Japan. Aside from the colorful thatched roofs and the paper lanterns that still hung around today, they had gotten rid of most of their old customs and started a new village. Konohana had about nine buildings and about fifteen villagers, and every one of them still carried the appearance of their Japanese except for me.

The mayor of Konohana, Ina, claimed me as hers, but obviously I don't live with her. I don't remember my childhood very much at all. In fact, all I remember is Kana, Ying and living alone. That sounds pretty weird, but in small towns even ten year olds can live alone because everyone in the town supports everyone else. When you look at Ina, never married, young and spunky, you can tell immediately that she is not my mother.

I shook my head to get rid of my thoughts. It seemed then like all my life I had been changing the subject and shaking my head to clear myself of the things going on in my mind. I sighed, really loud and deep.

Then, despite the darkness, I went outside, away from the mirror and to my crops. I blindly watered, pruned and harvested them. When I was done a few more hours had passed and the sun was bright overhead. I took my pickings and brought them inside. Right away I started washing, drying, than cutting and chopping the vegetables I had harvested. The work busied me, kept my mind on other things. I focused on the repetitiveness of the knife slicing the freshly picked food. When I was done, probably the most pretty and colorful salad ever created stood before me. It sat in a red and blue patterned Konohana bowl with delicate Japanese scripts carved into it. I took a step back, admiring my work from afar. With my help, Konohana could win the cooking festival this month.

After placing a lid on top of my salad bowl, I wiped the remaining dirt off my hands and face as well as brushed my hair. When I was done, I double checked myself in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable for the festival. I would be representing Konohana, after all.

I left the house and headed down to the southern part of town where Ying lived with her grandmother. Her grandmother let me in after I knocked a few times. When I walked in, a familiar rush of warm air greeted me with the scents of brewing tea and baking cookies. The little room was occupied with squat little chairs and end tables for customers to eat at. No one was here though, probably because they were all at home preparing their dishes to beat Bluebell in the festival.

"Good morning, Kenz." Yun said to me, "Make yourself at home. Ying is just through this door, in the kitchen preparing her salad."

"Thank you, Yun," I smiled politely.

"You are entering the festival, aren't you dear?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well I am sure your food will taste wonderful with all the fresh crops you have."

"Always does," I giggled, "but your granddaughter is something special when it comes to cooking. You must have taught her well."

Just then the bell tinkled as someone strode into the tea shop. It was the blacksmith Sheng. "I assume you'd like your usual black coffee this morning," Yun said as he sat down at the bar, then she whispered to me," You can go ahead and head back there now if you want."

"Thank you Yun,"I whispered as I headed to the back room.

It smelled odd, a mixture of foreign spices and fresh herbs. Ying was up to her usual, unusual cooking. "Hi, Ying!"

"Oh hello, Kenz. I was just finishing up my dish." Ying said as she pulled spices out of the cupboard overhead and sprinkled them in a small bowl. The bottles were unlabeled and they were in a mind-blowing array of sizes and colors.

"Smells good. What are you making?"

"This is herb salad. I used mint, chamomile, thyme and rosemary along with the basic lettuce and spinach. Then I seasoned it with some of Grandma's traditional Japanese spices."

"Very unique. I am sure Pierre will just eat it up."

"Boy do I hope so. What did you fix Kenz?"

"It's the basic farm-fresh garden salad. I used home grown tomatoes, onions, and peppers. I assumed I shouldn't try anything too fancy."

"That sounds good." Ying poured her spice mix on top of her leaves spread out on the counter. She scooped it all up into a large printed bowl, and pressed a lid onto the top. "Give me a second so I can wash up a little before we leave.

"Of course."

"Follow me upstairs to my room."

Then I followed my friend up into her familiar bedroom. It was simply decorated, and her bed took up the majority of the space. Moo sat up on top of the pillow, staring out like it wished to be played with. I forced back a shiver as I realized how alive it looked. If I were Ying I would have thrown out that creepy little thing long ago.

She washed her hands in the sink in the corner, and braided her thick hair back. Ying put a hair clip over her left ear. "Tell me Kenz, which dress looks prettier?"

I helped her chose a dress to wear, and then we both grabbed our salads. Ying kissed Yun on the cheek before we walked out the door. We both ducked under the wandering jew plant over the door, and made our way up the hill to Kana's house on the north side of Konohana. Kana had one of his horse carts sitting in the front yard when we arrived.

I figured we would get a deserved break from walking today if he let us ride in the cart. I didn't bother to knock when I entered his house. Right when I walked inside I could see the familiar cash register where he checked out his customers. It wasn't more than a moment or two before Kana came smiling in to the front room.

He wore one of his favorite sweatshirts with the sleeves cut off to show off his impressive arms. This one was dark blue, just like my vest I was wearing. "Sup, Kenz," he said, and then "Hey, Ying."

"Ready to go, Kana?"

"Yep, I figured we could take the horse cart. It will be a lot easier than climbing up the mountain."

"That sounds good."

"I already have the cart set up in the yard if you guys want to go sit down."

"Come on Ying," I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her from the dusty bookshelf she was so engaged in. It seemed like she thought it was a waste Kana didn't read.

I spotted the small cart by the horse shed in Kana's backyard. Ying and I sat down in the front, setting our food bowls behind us next to Kana's bowl. He came up to us shortly after, holding the bridle of one of his horses. The horse was humongous, its massively muscled shoulder above the height of my head.

"Remember Hayate?"

"The cannibal?" Ying said with fear in her eyes.

"He's not really a cannibal," Kana replied with a chuckle. "But he is my biggest draft horse. It won't be any problem for him to carry us three up the hill." As Kana talked, he harnessed the horse up to the cart in the front yard and took hold of the reins.

Kana clucked his tongue and tapped the horse on the rear with a whip. It jumped into action and trotted around the barn to the road. Every now and then, Kana would have to move the reins to one side to steer it or hit it with the whip to keep it going. "I'm really glad we get to do this rather than walk," Ying said gratefully.

"I thought it would be kind of fun for you guys." Kana warbled excitedly.

"It is. I hardly ever get to sit back and enjoy the mountain view." I leaned my head back and saw the bright green leaves overhead. It really was enjoyable, with the cheerful sound of Hayate's hooves hitting the ground accompanying the sound of the birds chirping and frogs croaking.

It took us only about a half hours' time to reach the mountain top, just in time for the cooking festival to start. We turned our dishes in to Ina, who gave me a loving mother's smile. Then Kana, Ying and I sat down alongside the other Konohana teenagers underneath a familiar oak tree. Reina and Nori were a ways away, whispering excitedly and sneaking furtive glances at the Bluebell competitors.

Hiro, a boy about my age who spent the majority of his time apprenticing Konohana's doctor Ayame, was leaning back against a stump with his eyes shut tight. I spared myself a glance at him then quickly turned away. Our friendship was distant. Hiro was shy, but the Konohana elders insisted that we try to date a while back. A few years ago we had kissed, but the sparkless memory was almost gone. Hiro and I were always award since he was so quiet and enveloped in his studies. Kana had laughed when he discovered that we kissed, but he wasn't jealous in the least. It seemed Kana thought that Hiro was no competition for him.

That was about is how it went every year, with Kana and Ying and I relaxing under our favorite tree as the Konohana elders prepared the dishes for the gourmet. Rahi bounced up and down excitedly; and I made a patient attempt to calm him down as if he was my own brother.

Rahi was a lot like a brother to me. He was very young; Ina had just adopted him a few years before. And at eight years old, he had more energy than all of Kana's horses, and just as much wisdom as I have, if not more. When I'm not running around with Kana and Ying, I spend my time reading books and playing tag with Rahi.

Reina and Nori have entered the competition along with us. They both look nervous yet determined to beat Bluebell. At first I had thought they had made some progress by deciding not to argue with us anymore, before Nori whispered to us. "If we lose today, I know whose fault it's going to be."

Kana, Ying and I all chose to ignore her. We sat in silence as we waited.

It wasn't too long before I heard Ina announcing the names of the contestants from Konohana. Than the contestants from Bluebell were announced, and we all left our positions to stand on the opposite side of the field as our rivals. I had trouble seeing Bluebell's participants from the distance, and definitely could not pick out any features. They stood as calmly and silently as us.

Then Bluebell's mayor introduced Pierre, the gourmet that judged our food. We all clapped as he strode in wearing his signature purple top hat over his long blond hair. His unusual red violet eyes sparkled as he smiled to us all. "It is such a pleasure to be judging you all today. I hope I will be able to use my expertise to make an informed decision on which village has truly the best cooking. I look forward to eating all of your salads!"

Then he strode over to Bluebells yellow table. It was clothed in yellow and full of bright salads in multi-colored bowls. I watched his face as he tried each dish, smiling and making comments to each of the teens that had cooked the dishes.

I would have been surprised that those particular teenagers (with the terrible language we had heard across the wall) would be able to cook had I not seen so many of these competitions. The first bowl Pierre came to he made the remark: Not bad, but not great either. Try using some fresh tomatoes to accent all the greens you have here."

After tasting the second dish, he grinned hugely and uttered: Delicious! Flawless dish, dear!"

"Yummy. Could use fewer onions though," Pierre said to the boy standing near the third dish.

"Even though I'm not much of a fan of turnips, you made them work well in this dish." Pierre told one teen after telling another, "You should add more ingredients to give more color and flavor to your food." Then he tasted the last dish and told the last contestant that their oil-based dressing wasn't necessary.

"Good job Bluebell! Now I will just try Konohana's food to see how good they did."

First he tried Nori's dish, an unusual brown salad dripping in sauce. "Wonderful! I love how you incorporated a tangy sauce into your recipe! Well done." Nori sneered over at me, obviously proud of her work.

Then he sampled Rahi's dish. "Amazing! The simple vegetables compliment each other well. I'm very impressed you could pull this off at such a young age," Pierre said to Rahi.

After tasting Ying's salad, he said; "Very nice. I love how you used the ancient spices of this area to flavor your leaves. It compliments the herbs very well. Nice job!"

Now it was my turn. I took a deep breath while I watched Pierre's fork move towards his mouth. "Exquisite! The farm-fresh flavor of the vegetables is bursting with the ripeness of the season! Congratulations on preparing an excellent salad." I grinned as I watched the blond boy utter out those nerd words.

He then told Reina how good her salad was and reminded her not too add to much peppers in order to let the true flavor of the lettuce show through and gave Hiro a tip for chopping up the vegetables in a manner that pleased the consumer. It actually amazed me how picky you can be when you tasted a salad. These competitions obviously weren't about simple traditional dishes, they always involved more than that.

Kana was the last entry of the day. His salad looked pitiful. Actually, it looked like he had thrown some oak leaves from the tree outside his house in a bowl. Pierre didn't seem too reluctant to try it though. He chewed and it looked like he stifled a gag. In an effort to be nice, he didn't say anything to Kana after he finished coughing over Kana's salad.

I looked over at my friend, trying not to laugh at what a horrendous cook he was. Kana looked a little guilty but he smiled over at me. Ying was looking nervously away from both of us, probably extremely excited for the results to be announced. Both Ina and the Bluebell mayor were staring each other down, not reducing their argument to words. It was still powerful though. When I saw the hateful look in Ina's brown eyes, I forced back a shudder. Besides these cooking festivals, the only looks I had ever seen from Ina were looks of pure love. It bothered me to see her like this.

Pierre clapped his hands together. "It has been a pleasure sampling all of your foods today. Like always, the contest was very close, and I hate to be the one to say one village is better than the other, but I have come to my conclusion."

He paced between the two village tables, one blue and one yellow. It seemed like all he wanted was to keep us on the edge of our seats in suspense. I held my breath along with everyone else at the festival. Every person was on the edge of their seat, it didn't matter if they were from Konohana or Bluebell.

At last he spoke. "Konohana, you have won. It was very close, but I found that the overall quality of tastes in your combined dishes satisfied my tastes more than Bluebell's. On the other hand, Bluebell makes a very good match for you. I look forward to trying all your soups next festival to truly see which village has the best cooking. Thank you all, and please remember that I have been graced by your presence. Have a good day."

And with that, he strode out to the side of the mountain. He would take the path on the other side, down to the large city he called home. A few of us clapped as Pierre made his grand exit. Then it was time that Konohana really started celebrating.

Kana ran over to me, throwing his arms around mine and shaking me like a doll. Then he pulled Ying into the embrace, and we all hugged awkwardly as we rejoiced. Konohana had won. I vaguely remember Reina and Nori gloating and assuring everyone it was their dishes that caused Konohana's victory. We cheered and whooped, glad that our village had proved itself superior.

Our basking didn't last very long though. I heard Ina's familiar voice cry out to the other mayor. "Ha-ha. We have won. This proves that our village truly is dominant. Crops beat animals any day."

The mustached man that was Bluebell's mayor spoke up. It was only at these cooking competitions that I got to hear his voice. "You will see next time around that your victory was only a fluke."

"No, next month I will see Konohana win again. And again the month after that."

The man sighed. Not a sigh of defeat, just a sigh that showed he was done arguing. "Until next time, my citizens," he said, as the participants from Bluebell gathered up their salad bowls and neatly folded up their table. In ten minutes time they had all exited via the path on the left side of the mountain. That left Konohana's village alone. Adults and children alike of my village were smiling; pleased they had won the festival.

"Congratulations, contestants from Konohana. Today you have made me proud. I look forward to seeing you all very soon." Ina smiled as she spoke to us. It was clear that she was proud of us. She left down the opposite path of the Bluebell members, and left us sitting in silence.

Ying went home with her grandmother, who had made it a little late to the festival. After I helped clean up the plates and forks, I made my way down the path where my fellow Konohana villagers had exited. Kana stopped me.

"You need a ride, Kenz?" He had his big gray horse tied back up to the cart, and he was in the driver's spot.

"Sure, thanks a lot, Kana." I smiled at my friend as I sat behind him in the cart. This time the massive horse kept up a speedy trot without any need for the whip. It seemed Hayate was ready to go home.

"I'm not going to the mine tunnel today," Kana told me.

"Good," I let the world trail off.

"You were right. I am too old for those games. Thanks for showing me that."

"No problem. Thanks for listening."

Kana grunted, and put his attention back on his horse. We were quiet for the rest of the ride. It took no time at all. Soon I was on my feet back at my ranch, listening to the sound of hoofs as Hayate and Kana went back to their farm.

The sun was setting and filling the sky with brilliant colors as it did. Chore time. I methodically started my routine of watering and preening my crops. I noticed a wilting turnip plant, which was pretty unusual for my ranch. The last time I let a plant wilt was when I missed a day of watering eight years ago. That was the day of my first cooking festival.

I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and bent to touch nature. That's when I heard the voice. "I taught you that. The principle that made you the magnificent farmer you are today." So it was Ina.

"Yeah, you did. It sure works. The plants do respect me."

"As they should. You did great at the festival today. And I'm not telling everyone that."

"Especially not Kana?" I joked in an attempt to pop the bubble of tension that always seemed to surround us.

"Especially not Kana." Ina grinned, and it lit up her whole face. I liked it when she smiled. Ina always had her hair pulled back into an oriental scarf, and it gave her already stern face an even stricter appearance. It scared everyone in Bluebell for sure.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it when you praise me." It was so uncomfortable how I talked to my supposed mother. Even though she obviously isn't my biological mother, she was the only mom I had ever known.

"You seem to respect the people of Bluebell more than all of us." Wow. Cannot believe she just went there. So this is why she had come. Not to praise me, but to get my opinion on Bluebell?

"I don't really see why we should treat them badly. None of them have ever done anything to me personally, so I treat them neutrally. Of course I don't favor them, but I don't treat them badly."

"That is my musume's wisdom." The Japanese word for daughter surprised me. I didn't know much Japanese, but I could guess this one. Besides Ina, Kana is the only other villager I know that can speak fluid Japanese. His parents taught him. "I am proud of you, once again."

All I could do was look her in her sharp, dark eyes.

"Were going to have to stop this."

"Stop what?" I was completely confused.

"Stop the fighting between Konohana and Bluebell."

"Oh. Yes, I agree. But, and excuse me if I am wrong, I thought you were fighting with Bluebell's mayor today."

"No, you are correct. I did fight with Rutger this morning. I could not resist. So many years of this kind of behavior have corrupted me. I want things to change."

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to help."

Ina surprised me by laughing again. This time it was a sharp bark. "Oh, musume, you don't have to help. I just wanted to vent to you. This is what every Okaasan does to her musume." I did not bother to point out that we didn't have a normal mother and daughter relationship.

"Oh, of course."

"Thank you for letting me vent. Might as well get back to your crops, correct?"

"Right. I don't want to upset the villagers."

"They do depend on you greatly. It seems like we are the two woman most depended on by the whole town."

I smiled slightly. It was rude of Ina to say that aloud, but it was completely true.

"Goodbye, Kenz."

"Bye, Ina," I said to her before I turned back to face my dying turnip. I listened to her footfalls as she left my ranch. The chores distracted me from my conversation I had just had with my mother, which was good. I couldn't help but think there was more to what Ina said than what I had heard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: The Messenger**

"Panda, Green Thumb…and Muscles," Reina and Nori exploded into a fit of giggles after they sang our nicknames. I had a feeling they were giggling at the "muscles" part.

Kana stepped in front of me and his biceps flexed a bit. His menacing gesture only caused the two girls to laugh even more hysterically than the first time. I wanted to protect him from the terrible teenagers that stood in front of me.

"Leave us alone," I spoke first despite the fact that Kana was standing in front of me. Ying remained silent.

"Oh, baby can't handle our nickity names?"

"You leave her alone," Kana said menacingly.

"Oh-ho-ho," started Reina, but Nori finished for her "Fine then, we'll just leave and you won't hear the news."

"News?" Ying whispered excitedly.

"Never mind, you don't want to hear it," said Nori while shaking out her long mane of glossy hair.

"Quit goofing around. Just tell us what's going on."

"All right. But only because you begged-" Kana interrupted her quickly.

"Begged? All I said was to quit acting like babies and tell us what the news is."

Reina smiled at Nori before talking. "The news is that there is some news in Konohana."

"I knew they were lying." I said, turning to Kana.

"If you really wanted to talk to Kana, you could have come up with something better than that," Ying stated simply before blushing like crazy and hiding her face in her hands. Both Nori and Reina looked surprised and offended.

"No, I think they're telling the truth," Kana said, turning around to look at Ying and I. That earned Kana two "you're crazy" looks from us.

"Well, we are. Dirk is in town, and boy, does he look cuter than ever. Looks like Muscles might have some competition." More giggles.

"You two disgust me." I sneered at them.

"Well all that dirt in your crotch sickens us." Nori sneered as she made fun of my farming lifestyle.

"Get outta here!" Kana got so close to Nori and Reina they took a step back. But they both quickly regained their cool.

"Kay, that's fine pretty boy."

"But keep in mind Dirk is more our type," Nori added before the two skittered away through the trees.

"Why can't any conversation with those two turn out good?" I asked my protective friend.

"Because they are immature." Kana answered.

"Hear, hear," Ying added and we all laughed.

"I'm really sorry to ask this, because I have lived here all my life, but who is Dirk?" I was still entirely confused about the whole "news in Konohana" crap Nori and Reina had given us.

"Dirk is the town's messenger. He brings letters to us from Bluebell and all different cities very far away," Ying paused and looked up at me. She was so short. "It's okay that you don't really know of him, it's normally pretty hush-hush whenever Dirk is here. The only reason I know of him is because he brought a letter to my grandma once."

"What was the letter?"

"The letter was just the mayor of Lakeside asking my grandma if she would open a tea shop in the city."

"Why didn't Yun do it?"

"Konohana is special. I thought everyone that lived here knew that," Ying said finally.

"I do," chimed Kana.

"Me too, it just seemed like such a good opportunity for her," I replied.

"It would have been, but I am glad we're still here." Ying grasped her panda in a hug, letting us know that "we're" included Ying, Yun, _and_ Moo.

"You two want to come back to my place for lunch?" Kana asked.

"Are you cooking? Not a chance!" We all laughed as we remembered Pierre coughing up Kana's salad yesterday. Kana's face got red.

"I will cook for you," I added so I wouldn't hurt Kana's feelings.

"Sorry you two, I can't come. I'd love to, but Grandma has me cleaning the house today."

"It's okay. I won't be lonely as long as I have Kenz with me…"

"Of course I will come. But I will have to leave at one to do my midday crop watering."

"That's fine. We will still have plenty of time to eat."

"I will stop by my house first to get some edible ingredients, and then I will meet you at your place."

"Sounds good."

After I gathered up the things needed to make miso soup and homemade bread, I shut the cottage door behind me and headed on my way. When I knocked on Kana's door, there was no response. This was definitely a first. I knocked again, this time yelling his name. Again no response.

I set the food ingredients on the front porch and walked around the back of his house out to his barn. The horses were all out grazing in the pasture, calm and content as they munched on the sweet green grass. I pushed open the door to the stable, and was surprised when I didn't see Kana there. I took a walk through the aisle, peeking in all the stalls. Nothing. Each perfectly clean stall was empty except for a pile of hay in the corner. Hmmm. I wondered where Kana could be. I tried to think of a time where Kana didn't come running right when I arrived at his house. Plus he already knew I was coming, so he should have been waiting for me with bated breath.

My mind was whirling as I jogged back around his house, back towards the town. I tried to think of anywhere Kana could be. The Smithy was closed on weekends, so Kana couldn't be purchasing shoes for his horses. And he couldn't grow a crop, so he wouldn't be at Gombe's seed shop. Not like he would go to Nori's house anyway. Nori lived with her grandfather Gombe, who sold seeds at the one of the two buildings Kana would never go. (The other building being Reina's house, of course).

That left the tea shop. Actually, it really was a pretty likely place for Kana to be, considering our friend Ying lived there. When I realized it was certain that's where Kana was, I started jogging towards the southern part of Konohana. My farmer's boots picked up a familiar clunking sound every time they hit the earth. I kicked up a lot of brown dust too. I ran into a few villagers on the way down there, including the medic Dr. Ayame and Reina's uncle Mako. I quickly asked them both if they had seen Kana. When I received the "no" I was worried about, I continued on my way to the tea shop.

I ignored the cheerful tinkling of the bell on Yun's door when I entered the tea shop. I saw Yun at the counter, and without wasting time on "hellos" and "how are ya's?" I began to talk to her in a way-too-excited tone. "Have you seen Kana?"

"Honey, you look worried. Won't you please sit down and have a cup of tea?" And that is precisely what bothered me so much about Yun. I love her and all, but she is such an old lady. Whenever a real emergency shows up, she wants me to sit down, have a cup of tea and forget about it. That day I simply wouldn't have it.

"No, Yun. Kana's gone, and I am really worried. It was about a half hour sense I saw him last, and I was supposed to meet him at his house. He wasn't there, like he always is, and I am worried."

"No, dear I am so sorry. I do not know where your friend is."

"He's not here? I thought for sure…"

"Kenz, he's a teenage boy. In fact, he is more of an adult than he is a teenage boy. Kana can take care of himself. I am sure some emergency came up, and he couldn't tell you in the time before he had to leave. Just give him a while and he'll be back."

I didn't want to give up. "But he always tells me when he leaves, before he leaves. I'm still worried Yun."

"Don't be dear."

I sighed in defeat and slumped into a nearby chair. My fingers absently stroked the plush purple surface. "I guess I will just go home and wait for him to come and find me."

"I think that is a good idea. You want something hot to drink before you go?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks though."

Just then Ying, holding a feather duster came through from the back room. "Hi, Kenz. Wait, aren't you supposed to be with Kana?"

"I cannot find him."

"Well that's unusual. Normally you cannot get away from him."

I didn't laugh. "That's what worries me."

"I know he invited you over and everything, but he probably needs some time away from you. You both spend all of your lives together."

"Yeah…"

"Hey, Kenz, look at me. Don't worry about Kana. Seriously. Don't. He can handle himself like he handled Reina and Nori earlier today." Ying's face was serious, and I wanted to believe her almost more than I wanted to believe Yun.

"Nori and Reina back to their old games?" Ying's grandmother wormed her way into our conversation. Just then Ying and I jumped because we both realized Yun was listening to everything we had said.

"Not like they ever stopped playing."

"Boy, I wish those girls would just behave."

"It's really a shame they represent Konohana when they act so poorly," Yun said disapprovingly.

"I agree. But they never will stop."

"You guys are responding maturely to them, aren't you?" Yun asked mother-like.

"Of course. Kana always tries to stand up for us, but we never say anything rude back."

"That's my girls," Yun said, beaming proudly up at us. Her wrinkled and withered face was almost a foot under mine, and she was shorter than Ying too. I grinned back at her, loving to pretend I really was her daughter. I mean, I did call her old lady-ish, but she's so much better to be around than Ina. I always felt like I could really be myself whenever I was around Yun, just like if she was my own mother.

"Well, I've got to go." I shot out of the chair and put my hand on the door handle.

"Goodbye Kenz," said Ying.

"Bye, love," said Yun.

The affectionate sound of their voices rang in my head as I walked northward to my house. Unlike on the way down there, I listened carefully to the breeze stirring the wind chimes, causing them to tinkle prettily. I saw the waving foxtail grasses shimmering purple in the sparkly sunlight. I took in the scent of the honeysuckle and richness of the soil. Even here, in the busiest part of the village, I could sense the crops just like at my ranch. I enjoyed the walk back to my house, or at least part of it.

My eyes scanned the old mine tunnel when I walked past on the way to my farm. That was when I heard it. Deep, manly shouting. Not cries of pain or hurt, but stabbing blows meant to hurt someone's feelings. And the voice was so familiar it caused my heart to beat faster. The voice was so familiar I knew it better than my own. The voice was Kana's.

Against my better judgment, I walked closer to the sound, closer to the chilly darkness of the small mineshaft. I saw the sparkle of forgotten ore in the last bit of the light shining through the tunnel. My hand met the rough surface of a cold rock, and I leaned against it to keep me from falling down. I knew exactly what was happening. Kana was yelling at Bluebell through the rocks that blocked the path. Kana was making fun of people through the barrier an avalanche had caused. Kana was shouting at another tribe through the obstruction which was meant to keep Konohana and Bluebell separated.

My breathing got louder, and I covered my mouth with my spare hand. I heard the other village say something back to Kana. The rude words made my heart crack. They were so untrue. But my heart broke in two when I heard what Kana said back to them. The syllables he uttered tore my mangled heart into two broken pieces. Yet it was still able to beat harder than ever.

"So where are your girlfriends, Konohana?" This voice was female, and it spoke to Kana as if he represented Konohana. As if he was the prime example of what our town stood for. It sickened me, because the words he was saying now did not represent Konohana. Kana's disgusting words did not set an example for our wonderful village which was home to bountiful crops blowing in the cool summer's breeze.

"They aren't here." He said it so simply that a bit of hope began to stitch up my broken heart.

"Too sissy to come?"

"No, they couldn't make it. They were too busy thinking of better insults to come. And trust me, these ones will surely make you run crying all the way home to your mommies.

Bluebell's response was more profanity. And that's when I realized the reason why Bluebell thinks Konohana is so worthless and inferior. All they hear is the rude voice on the other side of the wall, so that's what they understand. They understand that Kana's deep voice is the heart of Konohana. That Konohana stands for lame retorts and mean insults. That is certainly what I think of Bluebell. If I ever had thought anything bad about Bluebell, it is because all I really knew about them is that they had nasty words to say through the wall.

Then I heard Kana's familiar footsteps making their way towards me. Something Bluebell had said on the other side made him ready to leave. I ducked behind the huge rock I was leaning on, and held my breath as I watched my friend go by. A few minutes later, Kana had long passed and I was still squatting behind the giant stone, thinking about everything I had just heard.

And it wasn't the cussing that bothered me most. It was the fact that Kana had told me he wasn't ever going to go back to the mine. He told me yesterday that he never again would insult the village on the other side. My best friend had lied to me.

I finally forced myself to crawl out from behind the boulder and make my way out of the mine. I felt like I might get lost on my way out, even though I knew the tunnel was a straight line to back to Konohana. The little bit of sunshine that shined through and caused the crystals before me to shimmer reassured me. It looked beautiful, and helped me remember better days, where best friends didn't lie and cooking festivals were the most worrisome thing.

My head hung down slightly as I drug my feet back to my house. Then I heard his voice calling my name. "Kenz! Hey, I've been looking for you!"

My eyes met his. Those bright, traitor eyes.

"Oh, man. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"You sure it's nothing? Where have you been?"

"Looking for you. Apparently we just didn't seem to meet up." I lied again.

"Yeah. That's too bad. You ready to eat?"

"Sure. But I have to make the food. It'll take a while."

"That's fine with me. But didn't you say you have to take care of your crops?"

"Aw, dang. That's right."

"How bout you put the food in the oven and I will help you water the crops?" I looked into his sheep-like eyes and remembered why he's always been my friend. Kana was sweet.

"Sure, thanks,"

We walked to his house. I immediately started boiling the water and chopping up the vegetables. Kana kneaded the dough for me and put the bread on the stove. We put the lid on the pot and turned the heat down. Then we headed out to the ranch to do my midday chores. With the sun on our backs and our shoulders brushing together, I could almost imagine the scene in the mine never happened.

Kana carried a bucket full of water while I used the hose. After I reminded him to be careful not to get any water on the leaves, he spoke to me.

"You seem so out of it, Kenz."

"Just…thinking."

"About what? I don't mean to pry or anything, but…" Kana let his sentence trail off.

"Ina came to visit me last night!" The words gushed out of my mouth as one.

"What? Ina? Why?"

"Well first she told me congrats for my dish in the festival, but then she brought up the fight between Bluebell and Konohana."

"She did? That is really weird because she is the one who starts all the fights."

"Well, she doesn't start _all_ of them," I said, hinting at the fact that he had just finished assaulting the Bluebell villagers through the caved-in rocks. "But yeah, I thought it was weird too because she always insults Rutger at the cooking festivals."

"Rutger?" Kana was grinning wildly. "That's his name?!"

I giggled in response, in spite of myself.

"So what else did she say?"

"She said that I am the only villager who truly respects Bluebell."

"It's kind of true…So how did you respond to that?"

"I told her that I treat Bluebell differently than everyone else does because I realize they haven't done anything personally bad to me. I reminded Ina that's how I treat everyone."

"You are too good for me." Kana smiled, and I knew it was true. We continued watering the crops, and Kana refilled his bucket several times. When we got done we headed back to his house, talking all the way.

I added the miso to the vegetable and water soup and took the bread out of the oven when we got back. We hadn't been gone long enough for it to burn. "Smells good," Kana told me as he got silverware and plates ready.

"Should taste good too."

We munched for a while, not making eye contact, just enjoying the tasty food. It wasn't awkward though, just quiet.

Finally Kana broke the silence. "I am kind of worried about my business. No one has rented a horse in over a week."

"Don't worry, Kana," I reassured him, "It will be fine soon."

"I just don't think I am doing as good of a job running the place as Dad did." I could tell this was really bothering him. I wondered for how long this had been eating him up.

"Kana, your dad would be so proud of you if he saw you right now. You are eighteen. You are successfully working your own business, taking care of the horses, and keeping all of your friendships at the same time. In fact, I bet your daddy is in Heaven right now, looking down at you. I bet he's smiling right this second."

"You really think that?"

"I do Kana."

"Kenz, you always know how to make me feel so much better." And then Kana did something I will never, never in all my years forget. He reached his hand over the table, and took mine. His warm fingers intertwined with mine, and his big mocha brown eyes locked with mine. All I could do was stare.

Boy was I a confused mess. Of course I was mad at Kana for lying to me about yelling at the Bluebell kids. I was disappointed and hurt. I knew his feelings were a stormy mess, what with him thinking about his dad. But on the other hand I forgave him. I knew nothing would ever stop me from being Kana's friend. I knew that I would always love him, no matter what happens. And his hand warmed mine. It sent sparks up my arm. The sparks were little needle pricks that finished sewing up my broken heart.

Even though Kana and I were just friends, the choice he made to grab my hand that night took away my doubts. It helped me realize that I shouldn't dwell on the past. It reminded me to focus on the future. It told me that I could figure out what Kana's problem today was some other time. His choice changed my entire method of thinking. And just then, I was sure that I was changed for the better.

I was looking into his tilted eyes, absorbing their rich warm color. There was hope there. I saw love, friendship, and promise in his eyes. And I loved it. I loved for every second the feeling that his hand gave me. It made me never want to let go. But of course, I let go eventually.

He walked me home after lunch. Kana had chores to do as often as I did, and he needed to be left alone to focus on his work. Even though I still kept in mind the hand-holding part of the afternoon, we kept talking like normal. It was like today was just a normal, average-Joe day for us best friends. He left me alone, left me to think.

I didn't dwell on any one part of the day. I didn't continue thinking about the time that I spent being mad at my friend for what he did in the mine. I didn't spend my hours remembering how it felt when he grasped my hand. And I didn't muse over the fact that our friendship went back to normal right when I let go of Kana's hand.

After my evening chores were completed, I sat in my room, reading a novel I had read one too many times already. That's when I heard the knock on the door. At first I thought it might be Kana, coming to admit his love for me. But I dismissed that idea quickly, knowing that it was silly. Then I thought it might be Ying, telling me I forgot something at her house. That idea was thrown out too, as I realized that I never forgot anything. I went to the door, kind of thinking that it would be Ina waiting, ready to do some motherly venting to me.

But when I opened the door, it was someone I had never seen before. A dorkishly cute boy stood on my mat, a lopsided smile on his still-boyish face. His brown hair fell in his eyes a little, and he wore a purple hat with a feather on the top. He spoke almost immediately when I opened the door. "My name is Dirk. We haven't met before, but I am the messenger. Actually, I came, not only to introduce myself, but to share something with you. I have a letter for you."

And to my major disbelief, the green eyed teenager held out an envelope to me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Five: Maverick and Ash**

The mountain ride took over two hours. It seemed that Grady was holding tightly to the reins, keeping the horses' speed in check. Like he wanted them to trot slowly, force me to endure the long ride into my future. I looked out the window, watching the leaves drag slowly by outside my carriage window. Everything looked less green, less cheerful for some reason. But it was probably just me.

Kana was right when he said the Bluebell side of the mountain probably looked almost the same as the Konohana side. It did. Besides the fact that we were heading downward, not upward, it really wasn't different at all. Cheerful blue, pink and yellow blossoms grew on the side of the path. Ducks splashed playfully in the shallow stream. Green was everywhere. Ferns, jungle vines and great trees that had to be a hundred years old dotted the mountainside. If I was in a better mood I would have thought it beautiful.

Then we came upon the road to Bluebell. I heard Grady say something to me through the carriage wall, but it was unintelligible. I ignored him.

Bluebell was quaint. The first sight I got of it was the cobbled stone pathway, to the left of which was a large, beautifully decorated storage bin. A shipping bin, just like the one I loaded my crops into back at Konohana. We trudged forward; the horse's hooves snapped a cheery beat on the road to Bluebell.

A few minutes later, Grady was holding the carriage door open. I looked around as I got out. Flowers were everywhere, but there were no carrots, turnips and foxtail grasses like Konohana had. On my left was a house. It was more of a cottage really, with a sign that read: "Jessica's Livestock". I could see a field in the back; hear cows mooing and chickens clucking.

On my right was a house that strangely resembled Kana's. It had a field in the front, full of horse's grazing. A house was backed up to the fence, a barn connected to the house. But this one was not cheerfully decorated with a thatched roof and paper lanterns. This one, like the animal supply, was a pastel roofed house with a stone path leading to the doorway.

"You alrighty, miss?" Grady said, tilting his head slightly as he looked into my eyes. It seemed he was always asking how I was faring, like he really cared. Maybe he did.

"I guess. What now?"

"My niece Georgia here will take these ponies out to the pasture, and then we will be on our way. The whole village of Bluebell is gathered in the town hall's meeting center to see you."

I then saw a very pretty young girl leading the two black ponies out to the pasture. She had a lot of curly red hair, and caring-looking brown eyes. I vaguely wondered if she was the female voice I heard on the other side of the mine, where Kana met with the Bluebell teenagers to argue with them.

"You seem absent, miss Kenz," Grady told me.

"I am still in Konohana."

"Never ye fear, soon you will have so much work you won't even remember that drab old place." My eyes narrowed, and Grady realized he had said the wrong thing.

"My apologies miss. Here comes Georgia now!"

"So this is Kenz. Nice to make your acquaintance." She seemed nice enough, polite even. But the way her brown eyes glowed disturbed me.

"Ladies, we be making our way now." Grady then began to lead the way north into the main part of Bluebell.

He pointed out things as we went. The town's center was circular shaped, and we walked around it, heading towards the town hall. "That there's Enrique's shop. He has everything you will ever need to buy. There's the church. Here is where our carpenter is, and this is the bakery. That little purple stand outside the bakery sells flowers, which you can buy and plant at your farm." He leaned a little closer and whispered to me now. "You won't be allowed to plant any crops, so I highly suggest you spend your money on those." Grady winked, and I could tell he truly wanted me to be happy.

I was also thinking about his role in the formation of my quest. Surely Rutger hadn't told Grady that he forced me into moving here? As I thought of the openness in Grady's dark eyes, I knew that must be true. Rutger was probably not telling any of his villagers that it wasn't my choice to move to Bluebell. But yet, they had to know where I was coming from. Did they think I voluntarily moved from Konohana to Bluebell? Maybe if Rutger let them believe that, they would come to their senses and realize Konohana wasn't really as evil as they thought. Dang, I thought, maybe Rutger and Ina were on to something when they sent me on this goose chase…

Then we came to the town hall, a massive blue building. Grady went on in, holding the door open for Georgia and me. I could hear a light rumble of people talking as Grady led us to the left and opened the last door in the hallway. It became hushed as we entered, and I found myself staring into a room of silent people.

First Rutger stood up to shake my hand. "Hello, Kenz," he greeted me. "Everyone here is quite excited for you to take over the place of our last farmer." Some nods and "indeeds" followed from the villagers. "Well, don't be shy. Go on and say hello to everyone."

I wasn't shy. But that didn't really mean much; for I had just stumbled into the most awkward situation a teenage girl could be put into. People stepped forward to meet me from all angles. First, Rose, Rutgers's wife said hello. Her short figure was clad in a purple sweater, unlike Grady's which had a design of horses on it. She was very elderly but seemed kind enough, and pressed a flower into my hand. It looked like a daisy with purple petals.

Then the baker ran forward eagerly to meet me. He threw me into a hug before I could really get a good look at him. He pulled away and gibbered effervescently. I didn't really learn much, besides the fact that his name was Howard, and I also absorbed the fact that he was the oddest looking man I have ever seen. He towered over me, close to seven feet tall, and the whole of his body was covered in muscle thicker than Kana's. Makeup dotted his face, bubblegum pink blush on his cheeks and cherry red lip gloss over his thin mouth. He seemed really nice, and kept offering to make me a home-cooked meal.

Howard introduced his daughter Laney, a honey blonde girl with green eyes. She seemed kinder than Georgia, mostly because she didn't give me that odd, disturbed feeling. He also introduced an adorable boy called Cam. The boy was wearing an awful amount of violet, and a yellow neck tie tied loosely over a vest. A plaid hat finished the ensemble, giving him a refined, adultish appearance. Cam had a full head of gorgeous pale brown hair that fell in his eyes, but his attitude was terrible. He told me hello without smiling or allowing his vibrant green eyes to meet mine.

Then the carpenter came up, and told me she would have to stop by my house and see if there was anything to fix. Her name was Eileen, and she had short red-brown hair that fell into her bespectacled face. She had a jittery attitude, yet was quiet and seemed kind enough. Then the preacher, Nathan, stepped up. He was a large young man with a kind aura. He begged me to see the church so he could help me warship the Harvest Goddess properly. People from Konohana never do that, so it stroked me as odd.

Jessica turned out to be a plump, motherly person with her hair tied back in a bandanna. She complained about how skinny I was and she to offered me a good old fashioned country meal. She told me she ran the animal supply store, and then asked her son to remember to get me a cow. She seemed a little silly, introducing only her very young daughter Cheryl before skipping away to speak to someone else. I noticed Georgia and Laney were talking, heads together in a far corner. They were whispering and it appeared to me they were good friends. I immediately felt a spasm of jealousy deep inside me. I envied these two girls whispering while I had just been recently taken away from all of my friends.

Cheryl, Jessica's daughter, hung around long enough to hand me a "present". It was a fat earthworm, some animal manure still clinging to its greasy pink skin. I sneakily put it in her hair before she ran away. Silly little girl, she thought she could scare me with a bug. _Crop farmers are tougher than that_, I thought, before I remembered that I wasn't really a crop farmer anymore. I looked around and it seemed like I had met everyone.

Then Jessica's son stepped up in front of me. "Hello, my name is Ash," he said.

"Oh, yes, I met your mother."

"Wonderful woman isn't she?" Ash smirked.

"She seems very kind. But maybe a little preoccupied?"

"Just scatterbrained." Ash chuckled. I liked the sound of his laugh. It was warm and inviting. "I have to feed all the animals because she always forgets."

"She said something about getting me a cow…"

"Oh, I can do that. In fact, later tonight I can bring the animals over to you if that is okay."

"That's fine. I'm not busy." Even though there was nothing for us to talk about, even though we had grown up in so opposite ways, I felt a strong urge to keep the conversation going. Ash was easy to talk to. "I don't know anything about cows. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen one in person."

Ash's eyebrows raised, and it pulled some of his thick chestnut hair off of his forehead. "Well, I guess I am not surprised. You grew up in Konohana." The worried look on my face lingered. "Oh, I get it. Don't worry, I will teach you how to care for them. Hopefully you will find it as fun as I do, and you will have a running farm before you know it."

I wasn't so sure. The only large animals I had ever met were Kana's horses. I hated how every few minutes my thoughts went back to Kana.

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Ash's smile was contagious, and I found myself beaming back at him. His eyes smiled too, they were a beautiful blue a few shades darker than my eye color.

"YO ASH!" I heard a deep male voice behind me. Turned out it was Cam. Ash looked at him like a pal that had known him forever. I sighed.

"Sorry, Kenz. This is Cam."

"I know, we've met," I whispered.

Ash's head turned back and forth between us, as if he couldn't decide who he wanted to hang out with.

Cam ignored me. "You want to come with me and get something to drink?" He was obviously asking Ash.

"Sure." Unlike Cam, Ash turned towards me. "You want to come, Kenz? My mom made some of her delicious iced tea."

"No thanks. You two have fun."

"You sure?" Ash questioned me. He still had not budged, despite the fact that Cam was slowly edging toward the refreshment table.

"Yes. I think there are still some villagers I need to meet…"

"Alright." Ash seemed a little disappointed, but turned away nevertheless.

A short little Mexican man clad in a blue sombrero stood in front of me just then. "I am Enrique, Raul's brother," He said exuberantly.

"Hello, I am Kenz."

"You know my brother?" I did know of him, Raul ran a small shop in Konohana. I didn't visit Raul often though because I had always grown my own food.

"I do, but not very-"

"Good. You see, we sell things together, and share the money. But my wares are better, as you will see when you come to my shop. I see you are interested in that boy over there, maybe you can woo him with chocolates?" Enrique nodded to where Ash and Cam were standing together. I blushed fierily, and then promptly began to tune out everything Enrique said.

Its true, I was staring at Ash. He was very cute, but nothing compared to Cam. They stood together, pounding fists and talking in teenage boy language. Ash bounced up and down as he talked, and I looked over his outfit. I could see him easily over short little Enrique, who was now explaining the benefits of buckwheat flower over white flower. Ash was dressed curiously, in khaki capris and red suspenders. Ash wore a red bandana over a white short sleeve shirt, and fingerless gloves. He looked like a little kid's impression of a farmer, with his red flannel cap. I giggled a little under my breath as I took in his ridiculous getup, but Enrique didn't seem to notice. He kept on blabbing. Boy, people in Bluebell sure do talk a lot.

I watched Cam and Ash interact, and could see nothing of Kana in either one of them. The only boy close to his age that Kana had access to was Dr. Ayame's assistant Hiro. Hiro was smaller, fifteen or sixteen, and he was so absorbed in his apprentice work that Kana found him boring. They definitely didn't talk like this.

I wondered again if either of those boys were the ones who spoke through the wall. I shuddered as I thought of adorable Ash, cussing his brains out to a stone wall. Cam, though, I might be able to imagine him doing that. I saw them, talking excitedly to each other about boy things, and wished I had agreed to get a drink with them. I kind of wished I was over there, listening eagerly to their conversation, rather then tuning out the conversation I was having now, with Enrique.

After the town meeting, it was about ten o'clock. Rutger asked all the villagers to leave, and he led me to my farm. It was cute, I guess. The farm consisted of a miniature house flanked by a building on either side. One building was a medium sized animal barn. Rutger told me I could fit eight cows, sheep, and alpaca in there. The chicken coop was on the right. The told me ten chickens would happily take home there. In front of each building was a fence where the animals could graze.

He told me I would be receiving a few visitors today, to help me get started with my life in Bluebell. Rutger asked me if I wanted a town tour, but I refused. That was mostly because I needed some time alone. The day had held too many surprises for me, and it wasn't yet half over.

The house was comfortable enough inside. It was two rooms, just like my home in Konohana. It consisted of a large front room with a kitchen, bed and table. In the back was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. The furniture was not ordinately carved of bamboo; rather it was roughly cut of wood. The table and bench both looked like large trees carved hollow.

There was a bookshelf too. It was nearly empty. I walked over to check the lame collection of books when a bundle caught my eye. It was clothes, and a note.

_Kenz, _

_I send you these clothes in hope that they will make you feel as if you fit in more here in Bluebell. The pale yellow and pink shows Bluebell pride. We (Rutger and I) ask that you do not wear your Konohana clothes any more. I do hope you enjoy._

_Best wishes, _

_Rose_

I remembered how often random villagers popped into my house when I lived in Konohana, so I took the clothes into the bathroom. They were obviously meant to mix and match, just like the other clothes I had left behind. Three skirts including: yellow, pink, and white. Two shirts that included: white and yellow. A pink and white checkered apron. Four bandannas that were: One checkered, one yellow, one pink, and one white with pink lace. Two pairs of lace up boots including: One pale brown pair and one dark brown pair. There was some underwear, bras and socks as well.

I put on the pink skirt, the white shirt, the apron and the lacy bandanna. Then I donned the socks and the lighter pair of boots. I looked myself over in the mirror. I looked like some kind of a pastel dessert. The skirt was calf length and puffed out like a prom queen's, and the bandanna and apron made me look like a milk maid. The whole ensemble looked like something a softie blonde girl would wear. I looked out of place with my makeup less face and my brown hair.

I hated the clothes. Besides the way they made me look, they were itchy too. But I knew I would have to wear them. I opened the cabinet and found a hairbrush, some mascara and blush, and a toothbrush still in the package. I brushed my hair and teeth, and experimentally put on the makeup. It wasn't necessary, but it looked pretty.

I walked around the house, admiring the vase of flowers and the large bin for pet food in the corner. It was empty of course, and I didn't see any puppies and kittens running around. Then I remembered the purple flower Rose had given me and set it on the book shelf. It looked sad and droopy. I moved it up to the highest shelf so I didn't have to look at the mopey flower every time I walked into my house.

I sighed. Even the boots were uncomfortable. My old farmer boots were under the bed, still covered in crop dust. They were ugly, and you could hear me from a mile away when I wore them, but at least they were worn in and comfy. These boots were the right size, surprisingly, but they were made to look dainty and not humungous.

There was knocking at my door. I hoped for Ash, because he said he would stop by and get me started with the cow. Instead, I saw Grady.

"Hello, miss, nice to see you again." He said. His red hair was shiny in the sunlight. Some gray was in there too, which showed he was late middle aged.

I smiled politely. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yes, I know. Well I was caring for the horses, and realized I have one too many. Marie just had a foal last month, and I was looking to sell one of mine. I wondered, since you have a farm and all, if you would consider taking it.

My eyes widened. "Wow, Grady! That is such a kind offer! But, I don't have any money."

"Don't worry. For you, miss, he is free,"

"Oh, Grady, you have got to be kidding me." This is great.

"The weather is nice all year in Bluebell, so he can live off grass in your field. If you give him a horse cookie every day, he will have all the vitamins and minerals to stay happy and healthy. Just ride him three to five times a week, and he will live for a long, long time."

"Oh, thank you so much!" I threw my arms around Grady. He chuckled, and returned the quick hug awkwardly. "But where is he? Do I need to go to your house to get him?"

"No, actually. I knew you would want him miss, so I had Georgia bring him down." Grady turned and stepped out of my doorway. I followed and shut the door behind me.

Georgia was there, looking bored, holding onto the lead of a pretty bay horse. I walked up to pat him on his glossy brown neck, and he nickered. "Grady, he's perfect,"

"You're welcome. I knew you would like him. This is Maverick. He is a medium size horse, a thoroughbred. If you spend a lot of time brushing him everyday, he will come to love you quickly."

"Can I ride him?"

"Of course you can. Actually, some equipment comes with him. It is all a little old, nothing I could sell anyway."

"Equipment?"

"Yes. A saddle, bride, saddle pad, and a harness for a carriage. I have a broken carriage you could take too, when you get some money I could fix it up for you so you could use it around town. Take it to the mountains for gathering and whatnot."

"Oh, thank you so much. I love him!"

I saw they had brought another horse and carriage, too to carry all the tack with them. My heart panged when I saw the large horse. I had mistaken it for Kana's horse Hayate. But after a longer look, I discovered that it was more silver than gray, and had less dapples than Hayate did. Georgia handed Maverick's lead to me, and I patted him on the muzzle while she carried my equipment to the barn on the left side of my house. I realized then that the house had a small shed attached, and that is where she took my saddle.

Grady helped Georgia unharness the large gray horse and roll the carriage neatly into the shed. Georgia mounted the large gray equine and rode off to her house, without a word to me. "Sorry about her. She's a wee bit jealous of you. You see, she's always wanted her own farm."

I felt uncomfortable. "She can have it. I don't know the first thing about pets."

"But this is your duty, not hers."

I sighed. "Grady, how can I ever thank you?"

"Really, miss, I should be thanking you. I got rid of some old equipment that was taking up room, and now I have one less animal to feed. When the Johnsons from Lakeside give me back the horse they are renting, I will me have a full barn."

I liked hearing about the other cities. Kana never talked about them. "So how many horses do you have, Grady?"

There was something about his black eyes and his demeanor that was fatherly. I felt myself wanting to talk to him almost as badly as I wanted to talk to Ash.

"Well miss, I have the two black ponies that brought you here, Tick and Tock. The large gray one's Melissa, and I have a dun called Marie about the size of Maverick here," He gestured to the horse I was holding, now my own. "There is a new gray foal called Theo, and a horse that is a cherry bay being rented called Johnny. Georgia has her own horse too, a chestnut called Roy. And that about covers it."

"Wow, you have so many," I said, stunned.

"We take pride in our happy, healthy animals. If you ever need a more difficult horse to ride than Maverick, just call on me and we'll trade him in."

My hand went instinctively over Maverick's chest. It seemed I was already protective of my new horse. "No!" I said, a little too loud.

Grady chuckled. "Well I best be on my way. I will be over in at least a week to check on Maverick and trim his hooves. I am a certified Ferrier, you know," He said teasingly yet truthfully.

"Goodbye Grady. Thanks so much again."

"Your welcome miss," he said as he turned to walk home. Good thing it wasn't a far walk, because Georgia had left him horseless.

I walked Maverick out to the field, let him lose and put his halter and lead rope in the shed. A worn black saddle and bridle were sitting on a stand. A book about horse tack and how to use it rested nearby. I flipped through it, grateful that I didn't have to ask someone how to tack up Maverick.

I walked up to my horse, who was then happily munching on some sweet green grass in his paddock. I patted his flank, and wondered if he was thirsty. I then went into the barn, to see how I would go about getting him some water. That's when I heard the steady beating of hooves, many of them. It obviously wasn't just Maverick coming in the barn for some shelter. It was more than one animal.

"Hullo," said a slightly familiar voice, feigning an odd accent. I was smiling when I turned around to see Ash standing in the doorway. He had a cow's lead in one hand, a sheep's lead in the other. He had an adorable, excited young boy look on his face.

"Hi! And who could this be?"

He gestured to the cow. "Bessie. These animals have their own story. Their owner just left them here, so that's why it's so easy for me to give them away to you. Anyway, Bessie was recently pregnant with a stillborn. It's terribly sad and doesn't happen very often…" He looked sympathetically down at her. "Anyway, she's giving milk and she'll be happy to produce enough for you. And this is Gunter, "Ash gestured to the sheep on his right. This sheep has a funny story, you see, when she was born her owner thought she was a boy. Turns out, she's not. Anyway, she was named before they noticed she wasn't a male." He laughed a little.

"Wow, so these are mine?"

"They are. I was going to show you how to take care of them, feed, water and brush them."

"Sounds good," I said, even though I was still a little skeptical.

"I saw you have a horse outside."

"Oh, yes. That's Maverick," I felt like I was bragging over him.

"I wish I had a horse. Mom says I don't have the time, because I have so many other animals to take care of. Georgia barley ever lets me ride hers." I felt a twinge of jealousy. How close friends were they? I decided they weren't dating, since I didn't see them talk once at the town meeting this morning. And anyway, it didn't really matter because I was really dating Kana now.

"I'm sorry. You can ride Maverick any time you want." I smiled sweetly.

"Thanks Kenz!" He grinned as if I had made him happy. His smile was flawless, and I enjoyed knowing that I was the one to make him smile like that. "I brought you two chickens, too."

"Do I need to pay your mother for them?" I asked nervously. I didn't have very much money.

"Nope. When the old farmer moved, we got all her animals. We made so much money from them, but we still couldn't sell them all. We needed to get rid of a few."

"That's why Grady gave me the horse. Not enough room or time to take care of it."

"Well, there's a lot for me to tell you, so let's get started."

Ash showed me how to give fodder to the cows, and how to cut it down from the field. Turns out I have a large grassy field behind my house. He told me I could buy more animals, fodder, chicken feed and animal tools at his house, which was Jessica's Livestock. I also had to brush Gunter and Bessie every day, milk the cow three times a day and shear the sheep whenever it got wool. He showed me how to get fresh water from the well and carry it to the troughs. A little spilled from the bucket and onto my dress, so he helped me carry the bucket.

"Careful there. Until you get some muscles," He added jokingly, "You might only want to only carry half buckets." Then came the chickens. All I had to do was sprinkle out some feed for them, and put them out whenever it was sunny.

I spent a few hours with Ash and learned a lot. He was a good teacher, and showed me how wonderful owning animals could really be. By the time he was ready to leave, I felt a lot more comfortable around animals. I felt a lot more comfortable about my future. I told him that.

"Ash, you really helped me a lot today. Without you I might not be able to be an animal farmer."

"Oh, nonsense. You're a natural. Besides, you'll learn pretty quickly animals are a lot more responsive than plants." It was only a joke, but it bothered me a little and really made me miss Konohana.

"Did I hurt your feelings? I'm sorry," Ash said suddenly. "I know you love your crops. I am just really glad you came here." I noticed now his gloved hand was on my shoulder. It was comforting. "I really like you," Ash said.

I didn't know if he meant liked me as a friend, or had actually had fallen in love with me the short amount of time we had been together.

My hand went over top of his. "I really like you too." What was I saying? I was in love with Kana! How could I "really like" someone else so soon?"

My hand grabbed his, and I pulled it off my shoulder. There was a hint of blush on Ash's cheeks. "Well, I'd better be going, it's almost six." He told me as his eyes left mine.

"How can you tell what time it is?" I wondered. All day I had no clue what time it was.

"The sun," he replied "It's a farmer thing, Ill teach you some time,"

"I would love that." _Oh no, was I flirting?_ Yep, I was. My eye lashes batted a bit. And I wasn't even batting dust out of my eyes.

"Goodbye, Kenz." Ash turned on his heel, ready to leave.

"Wait, Ash!" He spun around again immediately to face me.

"Thanks so much…for…for everything."

"Your welcome. I will stop by tomorrow afternoon to see how the animals are doing."

"See you then."

"Good night Kenz."

"Good night Ash."

After making my rounds just to double check all my new pets were fed, watered, and happy I showered and settled down to read the horse tack book. I planned on riding Maverick in the morning.

But my mind kept wandering. Today wasn't so bad; I surprisingly liked the barn animals, and discovered I didn't mind the smell. The Bluebell villagers were very nice, especially Grady, who was like the father I never remembered. I made a friend, Ash. But I felt every second I was with Ash I was betraying Kana.

It didn't matter though; soon I would be able to visit him again. The suspense of the situation caused my heart to flutter. What if I got caught? What would he do when I saw him? Would I get another one of his amazing kisses? I was already making plans about when and how I would meet up with him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Maverick and Ash**

The mountain ride took over two hours. It seemed that Grady was holding tightly to the reins, keeping the horses' speed in check. Like he wanted them to trot slowly, force me to endure the long ride into my future. I looked out the window, watching the leaves drag slowly by outside my carriage window. Everything looked less green, less cheerful for some reason. But it was probably just me.

Kana was right when he said the Bluebell side of the mountain probably looked almost the same as the Konohana side. It did. Besides the fact that we were heading downward, not upward, it really wasn't different at all. Cheerful blue, pink and yellow blossoms grew on the side of the path. Ducks splashed playfully in the shallow stream. Green was everywhere. Ferns, jungle vines and great trees that had to be a hundred years old dotted the mountainside. If I was in a better mood I would have thought it beautiful.

Then we came upon the road to Bluebell. I heard Grady say something to me through the carriage wall, but it was unintelligible. I ignored him.

Bluebell was quaint. The first sight I got of it was the cobbled stone pathway, to the left of which was a large, beautifully decorated storage bin. A shipping bin, just like the one I loaded my crops into back at Konohana. We trudged forward; the horse's hooves snapped a cheery beat on the road to Bluebell.

A few minutes later, Grady was holding the carriage door open. I looked around as I got out. Flowers were everywhere, but there were no carrots, turnips and foxtail grasses like Konohana had. On my left was a house. It was more of a cottage really, with a sign that read: "Jessica's Livestock". I could see a field in the back; hear cows mooing and chickens clucking.

On my right was a house that strangely resembled Kana's. It had a field in the front, full of horse's grazing. A house was backed up to the fence, a barn connected to the house. But this one was not cheerfully decorated with a thatched roof and paper lanterns. This one, like the animal supply, was a pastel roofed house with a stone path leading to the doorway.

"You alrighty, miss?" Grady said, tilting his head slightly as he looked into my eyes. It seemed he was always asking how I was faring, like he really cared. Maybe he did.

"I guess. What now?"

"My niece Georgia here will take these ponies out to the pasture, and then we will be on our way. The whole village of Bluebell is gathered in the town hall's meeting center to see you."

I then saw a very pretty young girl leading the two black ponies out to the pasture. She had a lot of curly red hair, and caring-looking brown eyes. I vaguely wondered if she was the female voice I heard on the other side of the mine, where Kana met with the Bluebell teenagers to argue with them.

"You seem absent, miss Kenz," Grady told me.

"I am still in Konohana."

"Never ye fear, soon you will have so much work you won't even remember that drab old place." My eyes narrowed, and Grady realized he had said the wrong thing.

"My apologies miss. Here comes Georgia now!"

"So this is Kenz. Nice to make your acquaintance." She seemed nice enough, polite even. But the way her brown eyes glowed disturbed me.

"Ladies, we be making our way now." Grady then began to lead the way north into the main part of Bluebell.

He pointed out things as we went. The town's center was circular shaped, and we walked around it, heading towards the town hall. "That there's Enrique's shop. He has everything you will ever need to buy. There's the church. Here is where our carpenter is, and this is the bakery. That little purple stand outside the bakery sells flowers, which you can buy and plant at your farm." He leaned a little closer and whispered to me now. "You won't be allowed to plant any crops, so I highly suggest you spend your money on those." Grady winked, and I could tell he truly wanted me to be happy.

I was also thinking about his role in the formation of my quest. Surely Rutger hadn't told Grady that he forced me into moving here? As I thought of the openness in Grady's dark eyes, I knew that must be true. Rutger was probably not telling any of his villagers that it wasn't my choice to move to Bluebell. But yet, they had to know where I was coming from. Did they think I voluntarily moved from Konohana to Bluebell? Maybe if Rutger let them believe that, they would come to their senses and realize Konohana wasn't really as evil as they thought. Dang, I thought, maybe Rutger and Ina were on to something when they sent me on this goose chase…

Then we came to the town hall, a massive blue building. Grady went on in, holding the door open for Georgia and me. I could hear a light rumble of people talking as Grady led us to the left and opened the last door in the hallway. It became hushed as we entered, and I found myself staring into a room of silent people.

First Rutger stood up to shake my hand. "Hello, Kenz," he greeted me. "Everyone here is quite excited for you to take over the place of our last farmer." Some nods and "indeeds" followed from the villagers. "Well, don't be shy. Go on and say hello to everyone."

I wasn't shy. But that didn't really mean much; for I had just stumbled into the most awkward situation a teenage girl could be put into. People stepped forward to meet me from all angles. First, Rose, Rutgers's wife said hello. Her short figure was clad in a purple sweater, unlike Grady's which had a design of horses on it. She was very elderly but seemed kind enough, and pressed a flower into my hand. It looked like a daisy with purple petals.

Then the baker ran forward eagerly to meet me. He threw me into a hug before I could really get a good look at him. He pulled away and gibbered effervescently. I didn't really learn much, besides the fact that his name was Howard, and I also absorbed the fact that he was the oddest looking man I have ever seen. He towered over me, close to seven feet tall, and the whole of his body was covered in muscle thicker than Kana's. Makeup dotted his face, bubblegum pink blush on his cheeks and cherry red lip gloss over his thin mouth. He seemed really nice, and kept offering to make me a home-cooked meal.

Howard introduced his daughter Laney, a honey blonde girl with green eyes. She seemed kinder than Georgia, mostly because she didn't give me that odd, disturbed feeling. He also introduced an adorable boy called Cam. The boy was wearing an awful amount of violet, and a yellow neck tie tied loosely over a vest. A plaid hat finished the ensemble, giving him a refined, adultish appearance. Cam had a full head of gorgeous pale brown hair that fell in his eyes, but his attitude was terrible. He told me hello without smiling or allowing his vibrant green eyes to meet mine.

Then the carpenter came up, and told me she would have to stop by my house and see if there was anything to fix. Her name was Eileen, and she had short red-brown hair that fell into her bespectacled face. She had a jittery attitude, yet was quiet and seemed kind enough. Then the preacher, Nathan, stepped up. He was a large young man with a kind aura. He begged me to see the church so he could help me warship the Harvest Goddess properly. People from Konohana never do that, so it stroked me as odd.

Jessica turned out to be a plump, motherly person with her hair tied back in a bandanna. She complained about how skinny I was and she to offered me a good old fashioned country meal. She told me she ran the animal supply store, and then asked her son to remember to get me a cow. She seemed a little silly, introducing only her very young daughter Cheryl before skipping away to speak to someone else. I noticed Georgia and Laney were talking, heads together in a far corner. They were whispering and it appeared to me they were good friends. I immediately felt a spasm of jealousy deep inside me. I envied these two girls whispering while I had just been recently taken away from all of my friends.

Cheryl, Jessica's daughter, hung around long enough to hand me a "present". It was a fat earthworm, some animal manure still clinging to its greasy pink skin. I sneakily put it in her hair before she ran away. Silly little girl, she thought she could scare me with a bug. _Crop farmers are tougher than that_, I thought, before I remembered that I wasn't really a crop farmer anymore. I looked around and it seemed like I had met everyone.

Then Jessica's son stepped up in front of me. "Hello, my name is Ash," he said.

"Oh, yes, I met your mother."

"Wonderful woman isn't she?" Ash smirked.

"She seems very kind. But maybe a little preoccupied?"

"Just scatterbrained." Ash chuckled. I liked the sound of his laugh. It was warm and inviting. "I have to feed all the animals because she always forgets."

"She said something about getting me a cow…"

"Oh, I can do that. In fact, later tonight I can bring the animals over to you if that is okay."

"That's fine. I'm not busy." Even though there was nothing for us to talk about, even though we had grown up in so opposite ways, I felt a strong urge to keep the conversation going. Ash was easy to talk to. "I don't know anything about cows. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen one in person."

Ash's eyebrows raised, and it pulled some of his thick chestnut hair off of his forehead. "Well, I guess I am not surprised. You grew up in Konohana." The worried look on my face lingered. "Oh, I get it. Don't worry, I will teach you how to care for them. Hopefully you will find it as fun as I do, and you will have a running farm before you know it."

I wasn't so sure. The only large animals I had ever met were Kana's horses. I hated how every few minutes my thoughts went back to Kana.

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Ash's smile was contagious, and I found myself beaming back at him. His eyes smiled too, they were a beautiful blue a few shades darker than my eye color.

"YO ASH!" I heard a deep male voice behind me. Turned out it was Cam. Ash looked at him like a pal that had known him forever. I sighed.

"Sorry, Kenz. This is Cam."

"I know, we've met," I whispered.

Ash's head turned back and forth between us, as if he couldn't decide who he wanted to hang out with.

Cam ignored me. "You want to come with me and get something to drink?" He was obviously asking Ash.

"Sure." Unlike Cam, Ash turned towards me. "You want to come, Kenz? My mom made some of her delicious iced tea."

"No thanks. You two have fun."

"You sure?" Ash questioned me. He still had not budged, despite the fact that Cam was slowly edging toward the refreshment table.

"Yes. I think there are still some villagers I need to meet…"

"Alright." Ash seemed a little disappointed, but turned away nevertheless.

A short little Mexican man clad in a blue sombrero stood in front of me just then. "I am Enrique, Raul's brother," He said exuberantly.

"Hello, I am Kenz."

"You know my brother?" I did know of him, Raul ran a small shop in Konohana. I didn't visit Raul often though because I had always grown my own food.

"I do, but not very-"

"Good. You see, we sell things together, and share the money. But my wares are better, as you will see when you come to my shop. I see you are interested in that boy over there, maybe you can woo him with chocolates?" Enrique nodded to where Ash and Cam were standing together. I blushed fierily, and then promptly began to tune out everything Enrique said.

Its true, I was staring at Ash. He was very cute, but nothing compared to Cam. They stood together, pounding fists and talking in teenage boy language. Ash bounced up and down as he talked, and I looked over his outfit. I could see him easily over short little Enrique, who was now explaining the benefits of buckwheat flower over white flower. Ash was dressed curiously, in khaki capris and red suspenders. Ash wore a red bandana over a white short sleeve shirt, and fingerless gloves. He looked like a little kid's impression of a farmer, with his red flannel cap. I giggled a little under my breath as I took in his ridiculous getup, but Enrique didn't seem to notice. He kept on blabbing. Boy, people in Bluebell sure do talk a lot.

I watched Cam and Ash interact, and could see nothing of Kana in either one of them. The only boy close to his age that Kana had access to was Dr. Ayame's assistant Hiro. Hiro was smaller, fifteen or sixteen, and he was so absorbed in his apprentice work that Kana found him boring. They definitely didn't talk like this.

I wondered again if either of those boys were the ones who spoke through the wall. I shuddered as I thought of adorable Ash, cussing his brains out to a stone wall. Cam, though, I might be able to imagine him doing that. I saw them, talking excitedly to each other about boy things, and wished I had agreed to get a drink with them. I kind of wished I was over there, listening eagerly to their conversation, rather then tuning out the conversation I was having now, with Enrique.

After the town meeting, it was about ten o'clock. Rutger asked all the villagers to leave, and he led me to my farm. It was cute, I guess. The farm consisted of a miniature house flanked by a building on either side. One building was a medium sized animal barn. Rutger told me I could fit eight cows, sheep, and alpaca in there. The chicken coop was on the right. The told me ten chickens would happily take home there. In front of each building was a fence where the animals could graze.

He told me I would be receiving a few visitors today, to help me get started with my life in Bluebell. Rutger asked me if I wanted a town tour, but I refused. That was mostly because I needed some time alone. The day had held too many surprises for me, and it wasn't yet half over.

The house was comfortable enough inside. It was two rooms, just like my home in Konohana. It consisted of a large front room with a kitchen, bed and table. In the back was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. The furniture was not ordinately carved of bamboo; rather it was roughly cut of wood. The table and bench both looked like large trees carved hollow.

There was a bookshelf too. It was nearly empty. I walked over to check the lame collection of books when a bundle caught my eye. It was clothes, and a note.

_Kenz, _

_I send you these clothes in hope that they will make you feel as if you fit in more here in Bluebell. The pale yellow and pink shows Bluebell pride. We (Rutger and I) ask that you do not wear your Konohana clothes any more. I do hope you enjoy._

_Best wishes, _

_Rose_

I remembered how often random villagers popped into my house when I lived in Konohana, so I took the clothes into the bathroom. They were obviously meant to mix and match, just like the other clothes I had left behind. Three skirts including: yellow, pink, and white. Two shirts that included: white and yellow. A pink and white checkered apron. Four bandannas that were: One checkered, one yellow, one pink, and one white with pink lace. Two pairs of lace up boots including: One pale brown pair and one dark brown pair. There was some underwear, bras and socks as well.

I put on the pink skirt, the white shirt, the apron and the lacy bandanna. Then I donned the socks and the lighter pair of boots. I looked myself over in the mirror. I looked like some kind of a pastel dessert. The skirt was calf length and puffed out like a prom queen's, and the bandanna and apron made me look like a milk maid. The whole ensemble looked like something a softie blonde girl would wear. I looked out of place with my makeup less face and my brown hair.

I hated the clothes. Besides the way they made me look, they were itchy too. But I knew I would have to wear them. I opened the cabinet and found a hairbrush, some mascara and blush, and a toothbrush still in the package. I brushed my hair and teeth, and experimentally put on the makeup. It wasn't necessary, but it looked pretty.

I walked around the house, admiring the vase of flowers and the large bin for pet food in the corner. It was empty of course, and I didn't see any puppies and kittens running around. Then I remembered the purple flower Rose had given me and set it on the book shelf. It looked sad and droopy. I moved it up to the highest shelf so I didn't have to look at the mopey flower every time I walked into my house.

I sighed. Even the boots were uncomfortable. My old farmer boots were under the bed, still covered in crop dust. They were ugly, and you could hear me from a mile away when I wore them, but at least they were worn in and comfy. These boots were the right size, surprisingly, but they were made to look dainty and not humungous.

There was knocking at my door. I hoped for Ash, because he said he would stop by and get me started with the cow. Instead, I saw Grady.

"Hello, miss, nice to see you again." He said. His red hair was shiny in the sunlight. Some gray was in there too, which showed he was late middle aged.

I smiled politely. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yes, I know. Well I was caring for the horses, and realized I have one too many. Marie just had a foal last month, and I was looking to sell one of mine. I wondered, since you have a farm and all, if you would consider taking it.

My eyes widened. "Wow, Grady! That is such a kind offer! But, I don't have any money."

"Don't worry. For you, miss, he is free,"

"Oh, Grady, you have got to be kidding me." This is great.

"The weather is nice all year in Bluebell, so he can live off grass in your field. If you give him a horse cookie every day, he will have all the vitamins and minerals to stay happy and healthy. Just ride him three to five times a week, and he will live for a long, long time."

"Oh, thank you so much!" I threw my arms around Grady. He chuckled, and returned the quick hug awkwardly. "But where is he? Do I need to go to your house to get him?"

"No, actually. I knew you would want him miss, so I had Georgia bring him down." Grady turned and stepped out of my doorway. I followed and shut the door behind me.

Georgia was there, looking bored, holding onto the lead of a pretty bay horse. I walked up to pat him on his glossy brown neck, and he nickered. "Grady, he's perfect,"

"You're welcome. I knew you would like him. This is Maverick. He is a medium size horse, a thoroughbred. If you spend a lot of time brushing him everyday, he will come to love you quickly."

"Can I ride him?"

"Of course you can. Actually, some equipment comes with him. It is all a little old, nothing I could sell anyway."

"Equipment?"

"Yes. A saddle, bride, saddle pad, and a harness for a carriage. I have a broken carriage you could take too, when you get some money I could fix it up for you so you could use it around town. Take it to the mountains for gathering and whatnot."

"Oh, thank you so much. I love him!"

I saw they had brought another horse and carriage, too to carry all the tack with them. My heart panged when I saw the large horse. I had mistaken it for Kana's horse Hayate. But after a longer look, I discovered that it was more silver than gray, and had less dapples than Hayate did. Georgia handed Maverick's lead to me, and I patted him on the muzzle while she carried my equipment to the barn on the left side of my house. I realized then that the house had a small shed attached, and that is where she took my saddle.

Grady helped Georgia unharness the large gray horse and roll the carriage neatly into the shed. Georgia mounted the large gray equine and rode off to her house, without a word to me. "Sorry about her. She's a wee bit jealous of you. You see, she's always wanted her own farm."

I felt uncomfortable. "She can have it. I don't know the first thing about pets."

"But this is your duty, not hers."

I sighed. "Grady, how can I ever thank you?"

"Really, miss, I should be thanking you. I got rid of some old equipment that was taking up room, and now I have one less animal to feed. When the Johnsons from Lakeside give me back the horse they are renting, I will me have a full barn."

I liked hearing about the other cities. Kana never talked about them. "So how many horses do you have, Grady?"

There was something about his black eyes and his demeanor that was fatherly. I felt myself wanting to talk to him almost as badly as I wanted to talk to Ash.

"Well miss, I have the two black ponies that brought you here, Tick and Tock. The large gray one's Melissa, and I have a dun called Marie about the size of Maverick here," He gestured to the horse I was holding, now my own. "There is a new gray foal called Theo, and a horse that is a cherry bay being rented called Johnny. Georgia has her own horse too, a chestnut called Roy. And that about covers it."

"Wow, you have so many," I said, stunned.

"We take pride in our happy, healthy animals. If you ever need a more difficult horse to ride than Maverick, just call on me and we'll trade him in."

My hand went instinctively over Maverick's chest. It seemed I was already protective of my new horse. "No!" I said, a little too loud.

Grady chuckled. "Well I best be on my way. I will be over in at least a week to check on Maverick and trim his hooves. I am a certified Ferrier, you know," He said teasingly yet truthfully.

"Goodbye Grady. Thanks so much again."

"Your welcome miss," he said as he turned to walk home. Good thing it wasn't a far walk, because Georgia had left him horseless.

I walked Maverick out to the field, let him lose and put his halter and lead rope in the shed. A worn black saddle and bridle were sitting on a stand. A book about horse tack and how to use it rested nearby. I flipped through it, grateful that I didn't have to ask someone how to tack up Maverick.

I walked up to my horse, who was then happily munching on some sweet green grass in his paddock. I patted his flank, and wondered if he was thirsty. I then went into the barn, to see how I would go about getting him some water. That's when I heard the steady beating of hooves, many of them. It obviously wasn't just Maverick coming in the barn for some shelter. It was more than one animal.

"Hullo," said a slightly familiar voice, feigning an odd accent. I was smiling when I turned around to see Ash standing in the doorway. He had a cow's lead in one hand, a sheep's lead in the other. He had an adorable, excited young boy look on his face.

"Hi! And who could this be?"

He gestured to the cow. "Bessie. These animals have their own story. Their owner just left them here, so that's why it's so easy for me to give them away to you. Anyway, Bessie was recently pregnant with a stillborn. It's terribly sad and doesn't happen very often…" He looked sympathetically down at her. "Anyway, she's giving milk and she'll be happy to produce enough for you. And this is Gunter, "Ash gestured to the sheep on his right. This sheep has a funny story, you see, when she was born her owner thought she was a boy. Turns out, she's not. Anyway, she was named before they noticed she wasn't a male." He laughed a little.

"Wow, so these are mine?"

"They are. I was going to show you how to take care of them, feed, water and brush them."

"Sounds good," I said, even though I was still a little skeptical.

"I saw you have a horse outside."

"Oh, yes. That's Maverick," I felt like I was bragging over him.

"I wish I had a horse. Mom says I don't have the time, because I have so many other animals to take care of. Georgia barley ever lets me ride hers." I felt a twinge of jealousy. How close friends were they? I decided they weren't dating, since I didn't see them talk once at the town meeting this morning. And anyway, it didn't really matter because I was really dating Kana now.

"I'm sorry. You can ride Maverick any time you want." I smiled sweetly.

"Thanks Kenz!" He grinned as if I had made him happy. His smile was flawless, and I enjoyed knowing that I was the one to make him smile like that. "I brought you two chickens, too."

"Do I need to pay your mother for them?" I asked nervously. I didn't have very much money.

"Nope. When the old farmer moved, we got all her animals. We made so much money from them, but we still couldn't sell them all. We needed to get rid of a few."

"That's why Grady gave me the horse. Not enough room or time to take care of it."

"Well, there's a lot for me to tell you, so let's get started."

Ash showed me how to give fodder to the cows, and how to cut it down from the field. Turns out I have a large grassy field behind my house. He told me I could buy more animals, fodder, chicken feed and animal tools at his house, which was Jessica's Livestock. I also had to brush Gunter and Bessie every day, milk the cow three times a day and shear the sheep whenever it got wool. He showed me how to get fresh water from the well and carry it to the troughs. A little spilled from the bucket and onto my dress, so he helped me carry the bucket.

"Careful there. Until you get some muscles," He added jokingly, "You might only want to only carry half buckets." Then came the chickens. All I had to do was sprinkle out some feed for them, and put them out whenever it was sunny.

I spent a few hours with Ash and learned a lot. He was a good teacher, and showed me how wonderful owning animals could really be. By the time he was ready to leave, I felt a lot more comfortable around animals. I felt a lot more comfortable about my future. I told him that.

"Ash, you really helped me a lot today. Without you I might not be able to be an animal farmer."

"Oh, nonsense. You're a natural. Besides, you'll learn pretty quickly animals are a lot more responsive than plants." It was only a joke, but it bothered me a little and really made me miss Konohana.

"Did I hurt your feelings? I'm sorry," Ash said suddenly. "I know you love your crops. I am just really glad you came here." I noticed now his gloved hand was on my shoulder. It was comforting. "I really like you," Ash said.

I didn't know if he meant liked me as a friend, or had actually had fallen in love with me the short amount of time we had been together.

My hand went over top of his. "I really like you too." What was I saying? I was in love with Kana! How could I "really like" someone else so soon?"

My hand grabbed his, and I pulled it off my shoulder. There was a hint of blush on Ash's cheeks. "Well, I'd better be going, it's almost six." He told me as his eyes left mine.

"How can you tell what time it is?" I wondered. All day I had no clue what time it was.

"The sun," he replied "It's a farmer thing, Ill teach you some time,"

"I would love that." _Oh no, was I flirting?_ Yep, I was. My eye lashes batted a bit. And I wasn't even batting dust out of my eyes.

"Goodbye, Kenz." Ash turned on his heel, ready to leave.

"Wait, Ash!" He spun around again immediately to face me.

"Thanks so much…for…for everything."

"Your welcome. I will stop by tomorrow afternoon to see how the animals are doing."

"See you then."

"Good night Kenz."

"Good night Ash."

After making my rounds just to double check all my new pets were fed, watered, and happy I showered and settled down to read the horse tack book. I planned on riding Maverick in the morning.

But my mind kept wandering. Today wasn't so bad; I surprisingly liked the barn animals, and discovered I didn't mind the smell. The Bluebell villagers were very nice, especially Grady, who was like the father I never remembered. I made a friend, Ash. But I felt every second I was with Ash I was betraying Kana.

It didn't matter though; soon I would be able to visit him again. The suspense of the situation caused my heart to flutter. What if I got caught? What would he do when I saw him? Would I get another one of his amazing kisses? I was already making plans about when and how I would meet up with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Marguerites **

I planned to ride Maverick the next morning. I wasn't extremely nervous to do so because I had rode a few times with Kana before. I woke up bright and early. There was only some fresh milk and eggs in the freezer, with a note from Rutger telling me they would be good all week. For a town full of livestock, it figured. I scrambled three of the eggs and poured a glass of the milk into clean dishes I found in the cabinets above the stove. The house seemed well stocked. I made to myself a note to visit Enrique's store to buy some more food to eat.

When I went to get dressed, I realized there were no pants for me to wear. The boots were suitable to ride horses in, but not the skirt. I figured it would just have to do. I put on the blue skirt and the shirt I wore yesterday along with the blue bandana. I left the apron in its dresser drawer.

I headed to the chicken coop first. Both the small white hens were clucking, walking around and pecking at food crumbs from yesterday. I spread out some more bird feed for them, and put a bucket of water in their shallow drinking area. Then I collected the two pearly eggs off the ground, and patted each bird on the head before I went out. They, unlike Maverick, had not developed any sort of attachment to me. One of them squawked loudly when touched, the other remained silent but lowered its head out of my way. I sighed. In due time, I thought.

The sheep and the cow had both already wandered into the pen outside. I milked the cow and brushed both of the animals out there. Then I went into the barn, greeted a sleeping Maverick, and filled the feeder with fodder. I put Maverick in his halter, and tied him up to the fence outside. Then I went into the little shed and gathered the tack.

It took me almost an hour to get the saddle on with a tight enough girth, but Maverick was patient. He kept looking at me with those big brown eyes. The bridle was easy though; he opened his mouth right up for the bit. Next it was time to ride him.

I led Maverick over to a rock and slipped my left foot into the left stirrup. Maverick stared on ahead; waiting for what he knew was coming. I carefully slid into the saddle, and then put my right foot into its stirrup. Maverick was calm, as usual, while I gathered up the reins. I didn't hold them to tight, just enough so there was some pressure he would feel on his mouth. His ears flicked forward, at attention.

I gave him a bit of a squeeze with my ankles, and clucked my tongue. Maverick began to walk. I kept my balance, and moved the right rein so he would turn. Now we were walking straight into the large field behind my house.

I let him warm up a bit, and let myself get used to the feeling of him walking. I decided I didn't want to trot him today. We just walked slowly through the field, enjoying the warm sun on our backs and the smell of the tall grass around us. Almost an hour later, I heard a voice on the other side of the field.

"How is the horse working for you, Kenz?" The voice asked. I rode toward the small figure, until I could tell who it was.

Rutger, with his trimmed yellow mustache, was standing in front of Maverick and I. "Great! Grady gave him to me!" I felt like I needed to yell because I was so high up.

"I know. I'm sure you will find news passes rather quickly in Bluebell."

"Konohana was the same way," I felt tears coming to my eyes. It seemed like something about horses made me emotional. I missed my old town so much, even though it had only been a day. I had been learning that you come to miss things rather quickly when you knew that they were gone forever.

"Well, you do know I didn't come out here just to get my shoes dirty. I had some business to discuss with you."

"Oh, yes, I am sorry." I slid off of Maverick, loosened up his girth. "If you would just wait in the house for me, that would be fantastic. I can talk after I take this tack off Maverick."

"Yes, that's perfectly fine. I will see you inside."

After watching Rutger turn around and head towards my cottage, I hurried up and untacked Maverick. I let him loose in the field with Bessie and Gunter.

When I got inside the house, Rutger was sitting at the kitchen table, fiddling with the dying flowers in my vase. He seemed ticked off.

"Kenz, you do know we take flowers very seriously here in Bluebell."

"Umm… I am confused." I really was.

"These flowers you have in your display vase are half-dead. It is past time you should have collected the seeds and planted them. Now the seeds are of no use, and you have hideous dying plants in your house. I suggest you remove them immediately and fetch some fresh flowers."

"I'm sorry. I just never replaced my flowers in my Konohana house." It was true, I had dried up, long dead roses in that vase. Of course, that red one was a lot prettier than the yellow Bluebell vase I was looking at now.

"It is quite alright. Presuming I won't find this rather horrid scene again. You see, Bluebell is actually named after a flower."

I could only look awkwardly on as this man scolded me in my own house.

"But, there is no more time to waste. On to the reason I arrived here in the first place.

"Yes?"

"We have a notice board here in Bluebell. It is in front of the town hall, and almost all of the villagers in Bluebell use it.

"There was one in Konohana. Barely any messages ever got displayed there."

"That is why I found it so important to seek you out today. This message board is very important. All of the messages will be addressed to you Kenz, because many of the villagers need your fresh animal goods. Villagers will pay you for the milk and eggs your animals bring in. I am only asking that you check it every day, so that you can be aware of your duties here in Bluebell. Any products you do not use or give away you can place in the shipping bin. The shipping bin will work just like the one in Konohana. The goods in the shipping bin will be shipped to the big city nearby, where other people will pay for them. The money will be on your doorstep every morning after you use the shipping bin."

"Oh, okay." I couldn't really think of anything else to say, and Rutger wasn't very easy to talk to. He reminded me a little of Ina, and I wondered if all mayors have similar mannerisms.

"Well I best be on my way. Please don't disappoint me Kenz." And with that, he left before I could even wish him farewell.

I assumed it was around ten, so I checked on all the animals, and filled the troughs with water again. Now I had a whole day, and nothing to do. I decided to head out to see the rest of Bluebell.

It wasn't a far walk from my house to the shipping bin, and farther down that path was both "Jessica's Livestock" and Grady's horse renting business. I was delighted to hear the beautiful sound of hooves on the cobblestones, and looked up to see Georgia on her horse.

"Hello, Kenz," I was actually really surprised that she acknowledged me.

"How are you, Georgia?" I craned my neck to see her face. She was high up on her horse, which was precisely the same shade of red as her hair.

"I'm great, so long as I am with old Roy here." She patted her mount on the neck. Georgia had a pleasant country twang to her voice.

"I really like Maverick. I rode him for a while today, but since it was my first time I was a little wary to trot."

"That's good. I always enjoyed riding him. And I should come to your place sometime so I can help you with the trot. The saddle you have is an English saddle, so you will have to post to the trot."

"Post?"

"It's easy; I'll show you sometime." She really did seem in a cheery mood. I actually looked forward to spending a day riding horses with her.

"You should bring Roy. I would love to ride with you."

"I will. That sounds fun. I have no other teenage girls to ride with, and Grady is usually too busy. He doesn't like me jumping, anyway."

"Laney doesn't like to ride?" I figured Georgia would rather spend time with her best friend than trot around pointlessly with me in tow.

Georgia smiled as if she was remembering something funny. "No. The one time I got her on a horse, it was Johnny. I thought they would be a good match because he's short. They weren't."

"What do you mean by 'not a good match'?"

"When she got on him he acted like she shocked him. He bucked her off. The horse chooses the owner, I guess."

"Bet she was terrified."

"She was. Still is. She won't even walk up to the fence by my house, that's how scared she is." Roy gave a nervous little jerk and walked forward a few steps.

"Whoa, boy. See he's old; he can't let his muscles stay still for long. I've got to take him into the barn. See you around, Kenz?"

"Yeah. Bye Georgia." I said, already feeling lonely. I headed towards the circular-shaped portion of Bluebell.

I admired the flowers growing in the beds everywhere, and the cute little cottage-style buildings. They all looked like something from a fairy tale. I honestly couldn't wait until I saw Ash later that night. Then I heard a bell tinkling somewhere near the bakery.

It was coming from a little purple stand. Some sort of merchandise was laid out across the smooth surface of the counter. A young man was standing behind, tinkling the bell to attract customers. It was Cam.

When I walked up he had his purple hat off, and he was scratching his head with one hand while ringing the bell in the other. His long brown hair was in his eyes. I stood gawking at him for some time, wondering what this whole set up was.

He looked up and startled when he saw me. "What are you doing here, Kenz?"

Even though the words weren't kind, I was surprised to hear how gentle his voice sounded. He seemed like he was in a better mood than yesterday.

"This is a free village, I have rights you know." I scolded. But I was smiling.

"Oh, sorry if that came across as rude." He had quit shaking the little golden bell, and replaced his hat too. "This is my flower shop, and you _are _welcome here."

"Actually, I did want to buy some flowers." I remembered Grady kindly suggesting for me to buy some, since they were similar to crops. Rutger also mentioned it, though not so kindly.

"I have marguerites on sale. They are easy to grow, so I highly recommend them."

"Okay, how much?"

"I sell them as seeds. For you, they are only three hundred G a pack." Was he _flirting?_ Was that some kind of _discoun_t for me?

"Alright. I will take two packs," As I felt through my pocket for the money, I listened to him gabber on about how much water and sunlight the little guys needed. He mentioned that they only took ten days to grow, and that they would keep coming back.

"You sure have a passion for flowers."

"I do. Ever since I came here, they have been the only thing that interests me."

"You should get a break from your work you know. You are always living, thinking, and breathing flowers."

"It is what I enjoy."

I stared at him full on. I was starting to like Cam more now that he had loosened up a little. But he really needed to get out of work-mode.

Just then Ash walked up behind me. "Hey guys!" Then he greeted us each individually. "Good afternoon, Cam."

"Same to you."

"How are you, Kenz?" Ash touched me lightly on my back, near my shoulder. It was a simple touch, but my body erupted in heat where his hand brushed me.

"Great! Ash, what's up?" I asked, striving for conversation.

. "Nothing much. Got done with the chores, and came by to see Cam. Not that it isn't great to see you too, Kenz," He added quite hastily.

I smiled. Then, to my great embarrassment, my stomach growled. Very loudly. Cam looked in horror at my abdomen, while Ash looked like he was holding back a laugh.

"You hungry, Kenz?"

"I am," I giggled awkwardly.

"Let's get something to eat from the bakery." Ash suggested.

"Okay, that sounds good." I responded. Cam looked on, silent.

"You want to come eat with us, Cam?" Ash asked sweetly, before adding," It would be a lot of fun if you did."

"No thanks, I-" Cam's excuse was interrupted by Ash.

"That wasn't a question, come on inside with us."

Cam smiled, and it lit up his whole face. His bright green eyes matched the flower leaves on the table. Shock hit me in a terrible wave. I remembered Kana, and the way his smile lit up his face. Why was I hanging out with these two boys I had barley known, when there was a perfectly lonely boy I knew my whole life, waiting for me? My mind was set. I would sneak out of Bluebell and meet him tomorrow.

Cam gathered up his flowers and locked them in the storage compartment underneath his stand. He sure had thought of everything. That is, everything except for the fact that there is no one that exists who would steal flowers.

We sat at a table together, Ash next to me, and Cam across from us. Ash insisted on paying for us both, no matter how much we argued. He asked Howard for his specialty soup and toasted bread. _Soup and bread._ Something inside me twanged as I remembered this was almost the same meal I had made for Kana not so long ago. Was there any way that it was less than a few days ago?

The food was delicious. The bread was covered in small seeds and sprinkled with spices. The soup had bits of chopped vegetables and leaves floating in it, it was a pale yellow color. Cam and Ash dug right in, but I was a little hesitant to taste the urine colored liquid. Howard had called it his "secret recipe".

I was munching on the crust of my bread when Lana came downstairs and saw us. "Hi guys," She said cheerfully. She bent down to whisper in my ear. "That soup looks gross, but trust me; you will be going back for seconds. And probably thirds and fourths. She winked, which somehow convinced me. I took a sip of the soup, and before long I had practically licked the bowl clean.

"Looks like you were hungry," Ash said in amusement. I grinned.

"Howard's food is really good." I said, raising my voice to be sure Howard would hear it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him smile in delight, his make-up covered cheeks glowing.

Laney set three bowls of brownies and ice cream in front of us. Ash immediately began digging in, while Cam just sat there holding his fork. "It's on the house," Laney said.

"You don't have to do that," I told her, reaching in my pocket to see how much money I had left. I doubted I had more than 500G.

"Please, sample my brownies and homemade ice cream. I want to get someone else's opinion besides Howard."

"Twstes Gweayte," Ash mumbled around a full mouth.

Cam had tentatively taken a bite of his brownie. He looked up at Laney through his long hair. "Delicious."

Laney rolled her eyes after glancing at both of the boys. "Uggh. Kenz, I want your opinion." I figured it was rude to refuse, so I munched on mine. My eyes lit up.

"Dang, this is awesome, Laney. You created this recipe all on your own?" I quickly took a few more bites; the boys were both finished with their desserts.

"Yeah, I did." Laney smiled somewhat suspiciously. "Thanks for taste-testing my broccoli brownies," She said quickly before she ran out the door. The last thing I saw was her stifling a giggle while she simultaneously patted down her already-perfect hair.

"That rotten girl," Cam said before he realized what he had said in front of me. Ash's lips parted, Cam blushed. It seemed like they were used to talking sexist.

Cam began an apology, but stopped when he realized how hard I was laughing. Ash joined in, and Cam even let out a chuckle.

After Cam insisted he had to get back to his work, Ash walked me back to my farm. I was getting used to the way it looked; I even thought it looked a little cute. I showed him how well Gunter and Bessie were doing.

"Yep. They look fit as a fiddle. Guess I expected as much from a pro farmer."

"I am not a pro," I argued.

"Close enough. So, is there anything in particular you had to do? Do ya need some help around the farm?"

"Oh, Ash you don't have to-"

"No problem. What needs done?"

"That's really sweet of you Ash. Could you milk Bessie and fill up the animal's watering trough? I've got to pick some flowers before Rutger buries me alive."

Ash chuckled. "How bout I pick the flowers and you do the animal chores? A lady should never have to pick her own flowers, and you need to get all the practice you can get with your animals." I had discovered by then Ash's smile was almost constant, and it was contagious too.

He headed off towards the field behind my house where the wild blossoms grew, and I turned around to greet Bessie. I got a few jars of milk, to add to all that I had received yesterday. Selling all the milk I got three times a day would really add up. It took a few trips to get the water trough filled with the buckets, because Bluebell obviously didn't have a hose like the one I had in Konohana. The spring sun was hot on my back, and my neck was getting a little sweaty too. I pulled off my bandana, releasing my brown hair, and tied it around a wrist.

When I was done, I peeked around for Ash. I checked on the hens in the chicken coop. I couldn't find him, so went to see if he was inside. He was indeed, and he had cut up the flowers, washed them, and put them in the decorative vase. There were pale yellow ones, and a few white ones too. The colors looked good in the yellow vase.

"Why thank you Ash. That looks so pretty!"

"I've got one more," he said, holding out a white flower with pale pink edges. "Hold still."

One of my eyebrows went up as I wondered why he would want me to hold still. But I did as I was told. He reached up, above my head and slipped the flower underneath my hair and behind my ear. "You look so pretty," He breathed.

I wondered for a second if he was going to kiss me. Dreading having to pull away from a kiss to hurt his feelings, yet not wanting to betray Kana, I turned around. "Darn it! I forgot some chores!"

"What is it?" His cheeks were a little flushed, and for once the smile was completely off of his face.

"Rutger told me I needed to check the notice board and see who needed the farm fresh goods."

"Do you want me to help deliver?" He asked. Ash's constant need to help me, and the fact that he had paid for my lunch was adorable, but it was getting annoying. Yesterday he was a great friend to me, but today he was just acting like a love-struck puppy dog.

"Ash, don't you have chores to do at home? I am sure your mom is really busy today." I was also afraid he would try to kiss me. I wanted to get away from him for a little bit.

"Aw, man. That's true. Sorry, Kenz, I have got to go help her. He ran over to me, threw his arms around me, and ran out the door in the space of a few seconds. Impressive.

I waited just long enough to make sure Ash would be in his house. Or his barn, wherever he was going. My hand kept going to brush the beautiful flower in my hair as I walked the cobblestone path to the town hall. The message board was fairly empty. Only Rose, Eileen and Grady wanted milk. Eileen and Grady wanted eggs in addition to the milk.

I delivered Rose her milk first. She thanked me, and paid me generously. I had almost 1000G floating around in my pocket. The change jingled merrily as I made my way to Eileen. She paid me about the same amount as Rose, despite the fact that she had ordered more. Eileen swore that I should get my house added onto. "Bigger is better," she insisted after I told her I liked my house just the way it was. But she quit asking sooner or later and said goodbye as she brushed her short hair out of her glasses.

Grady greeted me with a hug. I really was starting to get acquainted with everyone in Bluebell. He paid me even more than Rose, and gave me a price list for fixing my carriage. I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw the numbers. So many zeros!

The rest of my farm fresh goods (a half dozen of eggs and four glass jars of milk) went into the shipping bin. I waved at Laney and Georgia, who were walking down the path together, whispering. They waved back.

When I got back to my farm around five, I planted the marguerites. I liked the repetitiveness of it. Dig a hole, plant the seeds, water and dig again. It wasn't nearly like the crops though. To me, the crops seemed like they could talk. The marguerite seeds weren't the same. I enjoyed planting them regardless.

I missed my crops. I missed Ying, Yun, and Moo. I missed my little house with the red roof. I missed having a hose to water with. I missed Gombe, Sheng. I missed Dr. Ayame and Hiro. I even missed Reina and Nori a little bit. But most of all, I missed Kana.

The sun was down, and the dimness was comforting. Just then I made a quick decision. I wouldn't meet Kana tomorrow. I was going to meet him tonight. I ran into the cottage and checked myself in the mirror. I scrubbed at the surprisingly small amount of dirt that was on my face, combed my hair and reapplied my bandana. I thought about the way Kana had kissed me a few days ago so I brushed my teeth too.

I snuck out, edging behind trees and bushes. No one was out. Everyone must go to bed early in Bluebell. I made my way to the mountain. I carefully regulated my breathing during the long hike up the mountain. It probably took an hour and a half just to get to the mountain peek. Owls were hooting and crickets were chirping. The night and the shadows that comforted me earlier were giving me the heebie-jeebies, and it was difficult to see. Good thing the path was wide, or I would have got lost.

The downward descent was easier. I recognized places over here. The large tree where Kana, Ying and I would sit under for some shade. The creek where we hand fished. The river where I caught my biggest salmon. I even missed these things, inanimate objects that surely didn't miss me.

Then there was the end. I couldn't believe I had gotten this far. This close to my home. This close to Kana. His house wasn't far, and I found myself knocking on the door. My heartbeat was abnormally fast, and I kept checking to see that the blacksmith Sheng didn't walk by on one of his nightly haunts.

The door opened, and I was embraced with warm light. Kana stood in the doorway, wearing old sweats and a stupefied facial expression. Even though I had thought a lot about him often those past days, I hadn't realized how much I had missed him until I flung myself into his arms.

"Kana!" I yelled. I couldn't help myself.

"Kenz…" He said, breathless.

He pried himself out of my grip and closed the door. "How are you?" I asked.

"After all you've been through, you ask me how I am? I am just the same old Kana. You are a new, fresh Bluebellian Kenz. Now tell me how you are."

I giggled like a schoolgirl. "Kana, Bluebell is amazing. I have my own cow, and a sheep, and two hens! And I have a horse named Maverick! I love him so much! And the people are great! There is a man named Grady, and he takes care of horses like you! He treats me like a father. A father, Kana! I have never had a father before! And there is Ash and Cam and Jessica and Georgia and Laney! They are great! There's Cheryl and Rutger and his wife Rose! There's a carpenter named Eileen and even a gay baker! They have a gay baker, Kana! He's growing on me a little, and everyone is so great! Their cooking is good too-almost as good as-"

Thinking about Yun brought me out of my babbling state. I realized Kana had tried to interrupt me a few times, but he couldn't. "So, you really like Bluebell?" His eyes were full of hurt, sadness, and something else I couldn't quite catch.

"I miss Konohana."

"Well, Kenz, I'm not too sure if you noticed, but you are here now." That's when it hit me. I was in Konohana. I had done something illegal by directly disobeying Rutger. I had snuck out of my town to see Kana. I realized then how lucky I was to not have got caught. I ran over to the window, and looked out.

"I have broken the law."

"You have, Kenz. You must leave. I don't want to get in trouble."

I looked back at him. I still hadn't got my kiss. My head turned back to the window, and I could see the outline of other buildings in the distance. The doctor's office and the town hall, and even Yun's tea shop in the distance.

"You're right." I sighed, really dreading leaving. I grabbed Kana's hand and let him lead me to the door. He held it open for me, and watched for me to leave. But I wasn't ready quite then. I stood forward on my tiptoes, reaching my lips out towards his. I though a little bit of pleasure would stop me from the pain I was in.

"No, Kenz. I can't kiss you. We can't be together. It's unlawful."

"What happened to together, forever?"

"We will get it, don't you worry. We just need to wait until the time is right."

"I think now the time is right for a kiss." I smiled sweetly and batted my long lashes.

"Not yet. It will only spoil it. Make it harder for us to wait for our time." I figured he was telling the truth. I sighed again, which I had been doing a lot since I moved to Bluebell.

"Bye, Kana. I love you." I turned away, took a few steps out the door. The last time I told Kana I loved him, he hadn't responded.

"Wait, Kenz!" I imagined him running towards me, kissing me full out, spinning me around and whispering to me how much he loved me. He did none of the three.

"Those Bluebell peeps sure have you dressed like some kind of confectionary dessert, don't they?" It was a classic Kana comment, but it didn't make me laugh.

"I guess so." I walked back towards the mountain, without looking back this time. Kana shut the door before I was out of his sight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: The Past is the Past**

I kept running over what Kana had said, or lack of it, in my mind. It seemed as if he just wanted me to go away, as though I had done something terrible and he couldn't stand looking at me. The first was true; I had done something terrible in that I had gone to Konohana. But that shouldn't have bothered Kana because we had planned for that. We were desperate, in love. And desperate times require desperate measures. It seemed as though he had changed his mind, and hated the risk of us getting into trouble.

It was very late when I finally reached Bluebell. I was so busy thinking about Kana, I didn't bother to hide behind the bushes. The dark shapes didn't bother me so much. I guess I didn't have that much in me left to bother. The buildings looked odd, distorted. From the corner of my eye I saw Jessica's Livestock, looming over the small trees that surrounded. I saw another shape too, a human, crouched on its knees underneath one of the miniature trees. It was too thin to be Jessica, yet too large to be Cheryl. It was Ash.

I walked forward hesitantly. He had his head in his hands. I wondered if he was crying, but quickly dismissed that. Ash was always so happy. Also, I had never seen a teenage boy cry, and was fairly certain that they weren't able to. By then I was close enough to see his shadow; the chestnut colored hair that covered his face.

"Who is that?" His head turned up to meet me in the eyes. Ash looked tired, exhausted. "Kenz?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing out here? It's so late."

"I could say the same to you," I answered. Ash smiled, but it didn't touch his tired eyes. Purple shadows were underneath them, something I hadn't noticed earlier that day.

"True. I couldn't sleep, so I came out here. I like looking at the moon."

"The same for me, I guess. I decided to take a walk." Ash patted the ground beside him, and I sat down. Our shoulders were brushing.

"Why couldn't you sleep, Ash?"

"I was thinking."

"About what?" I did not realize how personal the question sounded. Ash munched on his lip for a minute, as if deciding whether or not to answer. His voice was hesitant and unsure as he spoke. It was an unusual trait for him.

"I don't like it here. In Bluebell, I mean."

"Why not? I thought you loved your animals. I thought you loved your family, and Cam."

"I do. It's just that I have dreams. I have always wanted to see other places. Get out of here. I enjoy where I am at, and I enjoy the animals. Sometimes I just wish I could have more."

"Ash, that's a little selfish. Your mother needs you. Cheryl needs you. Without you, they couldn't run the store."

"I know." He sighed, and his head went back into the safety of his hands.

"Ash, I could tell you more than anyone else that moving isn't all that great."

"It's not that I really want to move. It's more like I just can't stand where I'm at."

"Is there something more to this that I should know about?"

"Yeah. But I don't want to tell you." He had a sheepish look on his face.

"Ash, I can keep a secret. You want to know something? You are my closest friend in Bluebell."

"Thanks." He still didn't tell me what he was hinting at earlier.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" He asked me. I felt my face get hot, and I struggled. It was hard to decide whether or not I would tell Ash about my journey a few hours ago.

"I just couldn't. Is your family asleep?"

"Yeah. Cheryl goes to bed right after dinner and my mom passed out hours ago. Why?"

"I wondered if you wanted to come over to my place a little bit. I could make some hot milk, which would help both of us sleep."

"Yeah. Let's do it."

About twenty minutes later, Ash and I were sitting at my dinner table, sipping on hot milk. "This is really good. I never get to drink milk."

"What do you mean? You only have like, twenty cows."

"Just because I have the cows doesn't necessarily mean I can drink the milk. WE ship all the milk and eggs our animals create. My mom doesn't let me drink the milk we produce."

"That's crazy. I never would have guessed."

"Yep…" Ash looked into the bottom of his cup, like he was searching for his future in tea leaves. His brows were meshed together as he was deep in thought. Ash seemed so thoughtful, so brooding for a teenage boy. I tried to remember my first impressions of him. Instead, I remembered something so much worse.

Before I had ever been introduced to the teenagers in Bluebell, I knew a little bit about them. I knew something that was deep, something that disturbed me. All I knew was that they met on the Bluebell side of the mine, to yell at the kids on the other side. They met to yell at me, and Kana, and Ying. Was Ash one of them?

"Are you okay, Kenz? You seem a little bit off today."

I decided it was a now or never situation. If I didn't ask Ash about the mine now, I never again would get the courage to do it. "Ash, do you know of the old mine tunnel that used to connect Bluebell and Konohana?"

His blue eyes widened slightly. "Yeah, I've heard of it. Why?"

My heartbeat quickened. "I used to visit it often when I lived in Konohana. With my friends Kana and Ying."

"Oh. I think I know what you are going to say now." I nodded; my eyes still hadn't left Ash's. I found solace in the oceanic pools of his irises. I grabbed on to it for support when I talked to him.

"We, we….We said some terrible things. Things I really regret, even if Kana doesn't regret them. And we heard some terrible things too. Things we heard from your side of the mountain."

Ash sighed. His head dipped down and I lost his eye contact. "I'm sorry. Kenz, please accept that the past is the past. Anything I've ever said or done, anything I've ever regretted…I take that back. Please forgive me and try to forget everything you've heard."

"So, it was you?"

Ash didn't give me a straight answer. "It was all of us kids. Laney, Georgia, and Cam. We all regret it. All of us have learned our lessons, and we will never do anything similar again."

"What do you mean by learn your lesson? Did you ever get in trouble?"

"Yes…no…well…Sort of."

"What does that mean?"

"The past is the past, and I would rather not relive it." Ash's words were final, and they were stronger and surer than anything I had ever heard him say. I knew then it was time to talk about something else.

"That hot milk just might have made it easier for me to sleep. Thank you so much, Kenz." Ash awarded me with a flash of his precious smile. Then his face distorted into a yawn. "Wow, Kenz. I need to head back home now."

"You're welcome Ash." I said evenly while making my way to the door. I opened it for him, and found myself yawning.

Ash, who seemed to be back to his normal self, chuckled. "Seems like the milk did the job for you too. Sleep good Kenz."

I watched Ash make his way to Jessica's Livestock, and didn't realize I was holding my breath until he was out of my sight. I let the long breath go, and then got myself ready for bed. Ten minutes later found me curled up under the covers, sound asleep.

I woke up to a sharp rapping on my front door. I had slept in! I ran to the front door, running my fingers through my rat-nest hair and blinking against the light coming from the window. My fingers clutched at the doorknob as I struggled to open it. The door wrenched open so finally I could see the character standing before the doorway.

It was Georgia. Her large brown eyes widened as her brows lifted suspiciously. "Did you sleep in, Kenz?" She asked me accusingly.

"Yeah. I did. What's so wrong with that?"

"We don't sleep in here at Bluebell. No one does."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine. I guess you didn't really know since you haven't been here very long.

"Was there some reason you came here today?" My words were rude, but Georgia was being a little annoying. First she came here in my house, waking me up, and then she decided to scold me and tell me how to live my life. Who did she think she was?

"I wondered if you wanted to come out and ride with me. I could show you how to post."

"Oh." I said lamely. I had totally forgotten about her offer the other day. "I would love to, but I'm not really dressed or anything."

"It's no problem. I can get the horses ready while you get yourself ready." Georgia winked at me, and spun promptly on her heel. In the distance, I could see two horses grazing along with my cow and sheep. I had forgotten to feed them too!

Fueled with a new sense of urgency as well as an understanding of why animal farmers get up so early, I grabbed up some clothes and my boots and closed the bathroom door. I took a quick shower, brushed through my damp hair and ran outside. Georgia was nowhere to be seen, so I went ahead and fed the livestock.

After all the animals were back to their content grazing, I found Georgia in the field behind my house. Her horse Roy was trying futilely to munch on the grass around the bit in his mouth. Nearby, Georgia was riding Maverick around him in a circle. Roy didn't seem to mind much. Georgia spotted me and rode up to where I was standing.

"Sorry I'm riding your horse and all. I was a little worried he would have trouble getting warmed up. It's just so _hot_ outside today."

"I understand." Georgia nodded and slipped gracefully down from Maverick's back.

"Let Roy and I teach you what posting is." Roy was already saddled, and Georgia found her way onto his back effortlessly. She gave him gentle nudges with her heels and he walked forward. Georgia picked up the reins and asked him to hold his head up high. They looked beautiful, working together in perfect harmony. The sun glistened around their outline, turning horse and rider into one flawless creature. Georgia's long hair fell over her shoulders to mix in with Roy's mane, which was the same color. All I could do was watch in amazement. I was quite certain I didn't look nearly as graceful as Georgia when I rode horses.

"Roy has already got some exercise today, so it won't be any problem for him to trot for you." At her words, the horse picked up speed. "See how this gate is faster than walking? Roy keeps two feet on the ground at all times. I am going to post, or lift my bottom out of the saddle, every time his outside front leg hits the ground. It helps me keep my balance, and it helps Roy keep his weight even. Watch."

I watched for a few moments as Georgia maneuvered Roy around the field. Her body rose and fell back into the saddle at perfect time with the horse's hoof beats. After a while she asked me to get onto Maverick, and try to post on him.

We spent close to an hour riding and perfecting my posting technique. The sun beat down on my back, and I wished deeply for some rain. I kept my horse on the opposite side from Georgia, the side where the field was free of rocks and fallen tree limbs. All of a sudden Georgia stopped Roy. "Kenz, I think I'm going to try to jump Roy. I don't really think you should jump yet, but you can watch me if you want."

"I will." I slowed Maverick down with a light touch on the reins. I was excited to see what horse jumping looked like. It was something Kana never did, so I never would have seen it before.

Georgia started her horse back up again, and soon enough Roy was cantering. It looked so effortless, smooth and graceful as Roy approached a fallen log covered in moss. He grunted audibly as he soared over the wood, landing front feet first in the soft dirt. Georgia's slim hand went down to pat his neck as she turned him around, preparing him for another jump. I watched as Roy and Georgia flew like lithe deer over obstacle after obstacle. Every jump was like the last, flawless.

Until everything went wrong. It was impossible to tell whose fault it was, horse or rider. It could have been Georgia's fault for poorly positioning Roy over the next jump. It could have been that Roy just lost courage. But either way, when he neared the next obstacle, Roy stopped abruptly mid-canter. Georgia flew over his neck, a light scream escaping her lips. Her body tumbled through the air to land harshly on a large rock in the field.

Everything was in slow motion. Roy moved unexpectedly quickly to his owner; where his head dipped down to brush her cheek. I just sat motionless on Maverick, looking on at the scene before me. A pair of urgent mahogany eyes met mine as Roy turned his head towards me, silently begging me to do something. That's when I woke up. My heels dug harshly into Maverick's sides, and he eagerly galloped across the field to meet the place where Georgia's motionless body was on the ground. I released the reins and jumped off Maverick's back before he had completely stopped. My hand lightly pushed back Old Roy's head, and I felt his whole body step back, giving me room to reach Georgia.

My hands fumbled around, I was unsure what to do. It was obvious she was unconscious. My fingers pressed against the cold side of her face, then the place where her heart slowly beat. That's when I saw the blood. Enormous amounts of the scarlet fluid were gushing from somewhere on her head. It was precisely the color of her hair, spread out on the solid pillow of jagged rock her head then rested upon. Georgia had hit her head somewhere on the rock, where it had been cut.

I barley recognized my own voice, calling for help, hoping someone in this miniscule town could hear me. My eyes scanned the scene again as I felt a rough nudge almost knock me over. I felt frustration cloud my facial features as I looked back to see the chestnut horse. "Are you trying to knock me over? Now is not the time for games." I saw the large brown eyes staring at me. He wanted something. Then the idea hit me.

I had always been strong, because I was a farmer. But adrenaline was the only thing that helped me hoist Georgia's lifeless body up onto her horse. I sat behind her, my arms around her, holding her tight. My feet kicked Roy, and he immediately cantered, fast as he could, out of the field and around my house. I was so desperate, so terrified, there was no way I could steer him. Good thing he knew where to go.

Roy led me through Bluebell, past Georgia's house and into the town's center. He stopped abruptly in front of the town hall. I heard doors open all around, people coming out, surprised to hear rapid hoof falls outside their house. Eileen, Rutger and Howard were the first to arrive.

"Kenz, what are you thinking? You can't ride your horse up here!"

"That's not Kenz's horse, what is she doing?"

"She's got something in her hands, is it a body?" The voices spoke and spoke, but no words would come to me. I was motionless, trying as hard as possible to not let Georgia fall off of my lap. I didn't even notice the hot blood that was pouring from the wound onto my hands and ruining my white skirt. More people came from every direction, until basically the whole town was demanding my attention. They were all confused, always asking. It felt like eternity before one of them wound up finding what had happened.

It was Grady's desperate voice that spoke to me the loudest. "Georgia? It's my niece, something's wrong with her!"

Urgent hands flailed around, pulled Georgia off my lap. They checked her head, found the cut. Everything happened in a flurry. It took three people to lift Georgia up and get her into the town hall, where she would receive the medical attention she so desperately needed. I still hadn't moved from my perch on Roy. My hands grasped tightly to his mane. Now, rather than trying to keep Georgia from falling, I was struggling to keep myself from falling.

More words flowed all around. "Can I go in with her?"

Rose's voice answered. "Only I will enter. I can bandage her up, but I don't need others interrupting my progress.

"Do we need to get Ayame from Konohana?" Some one, perhaps Jessica asked.

"No, it's not that bad. Head wounds always bleed a lot." Rutger, even now, was too proud to accept Konohana's help.

Only one voice seemed to acknowledge me. "Is Kenz okay?" It was young, and male. Ash. Suddenly everything changed. There were people around me, grabbing my arms. The voices were no longer bickering; they were asking me of how well I was. Once again, I couldn't find my voice. Hands grabbed me, pulled me off my roost upon the chestnut horse.

I tried to stand, and found my eyes blinking rapidly. I was so weak. The only thing I could remember was the blood. It seemed so endless, torrents of thick red. It was raining before my eyes, rain that was unbelievably hot and of the deepest red color. My stomach lurched, and I felt my body slumping towards the ground. More hands reached out to catch me, and they were slippery with the bloody rain. My mind was swimming, I couldn't focus on anything. I blacked out.

Sun shining from the window warmed my limbs, gently pressed against my closed eyelids. It was what eventually woke me up. I was lying in my own bed, comfy and warm. I looked down at my hands, covered in dried blood almost to the elbows. Sitting up slowly took a lot of effort. I was so weak.

A voice caused me to jump. "How are you feeling, Kenz?" It was Jessica.

"Not too great. What happened? Is Georgia okay?"

"She's fine. Georgia was asked to rest in bed for a bit. She was actually up and talking before you were. Can't wait to get back up and ride her horse." Jessica shook her head back and forth shamefully, yet she was smiling.

"It was an accident. She fell of her horse. I-"

"It's okay, honey. We all know what happened. You reacted perfectly. You were so brave."

"I passed out."

"Everyone can get a little squeamish at times. There's nothing wrong with a healthy fear of a little blood."

"There was so much. It was dripping from the sky."

Jessica's face contorted into a look of pleased confusion. "Honey, I can see why you need a little rest."

"I swear. I felt the heat of it. It was raining blood. I couldn't hold onto consciousness anymore because of it. It was so disgusting."

Jessica's face kept the same confused look. "Well, now that you seem to be okay, I'm going to head on home."

I remembered the light that had woken me up. "How long was I asleep?"

"You've been sleeping all through the night. You've been through an awful lot of stress lately, what with the move and all. You really should go back to bed."

My lips formed a frown. I wasn't ready to go to sleep. "What about my animals?"

"Don't worry sweetie. Ash has been taking great care of them. He actually took Maverick in from the field right after things got settled with Georgia."

"Tell him I said thanks."

"Don't worry, I will. I made you some get-well food. It's in the refrigerator." Jessica's hand was on the doorknob.

"Thanks Jessica."

"You're welcome hun. I'll be glad to help a fellow villager anytime they are sick." I was feeling everyday more and more like a Bluebell villager.

When Jessica had left, I padded around the house to the fridge. There was some chicken and noodle soup in a plastic bowl sitting on the top shelf. I shuddered. Why did it seem like the only thing I ate anymore was soup? I heated it up on the stove, ate it quickly and jumped in the shower.

The water reminded me of the blood rain, even though it was just a figment of my imagination. I showered hastily to wash all the remaining blood off of my arms. After changing into one of my many skirts and peasant-style blouses, I headed outside.

Today I had left my hair down, not pulled back by a bandana. I ran my fingers through it hesitantly as I looked around. All my animals were inside the barns, which was very unusual for them. My feet made loud, echoing noises as I stepped through the barn door.

A head covered in red-brown hair turned my direction. White teeth flashed a brilliant smile towards me. A pair of bluer-than-blue eyes sparkled with delight. One slim hand stopped petting Bessie and paused as the body froze. "Hello Ash," I said.

"Hey Kenz," He returned, "I'm kind of surprised to see you up and at 'em so early."

"It seems like," I said, trying to keep my voice even and steady, "You and you mom are forgetting that Georgia is the one that got hurt."

"You passed out," Ash told me, a look on his face like he was thinking I was stupid.

"I was weak. I'm fine now."

Ash nodded slowly, as if he didn't believe me. "You mom makes soup almost as good as Howard," I praised.

"I told here you've had enough soup lately. She didn't listen, obviously."

"I have." I smiled. "Did they ever end up calling Dr. Ayame to help Georgia?"

"No, they didn't. Rose said she'd treated plenty of injuries in her day."

"I think they're just too proud to accept help from Konohana."

Ash's fine eyebrows rose slightly. "You still think Konohana is better than Bluebell."

"I was born there."

"I've never been there."

"Ash, I thought you were different than everyone else. I thought you said the past was the past, and that you weren't going to insult Konohana anymore."

That accusation seemed to have pulled a string inside him. "Kenz. Listen to me. I don't like Bluebell that much, and you know it. I'm tired of being confined in this tiny little town. I want to get away, spread out my wings. I can be great only if I leave this place. I'm not going to argue that Bluebell is better than Konohana, no matter what you think about me."

My lips shaped upward into a grin. I nodded.

"Are you making fun of me? I was just trying to announce my opinion."

"I'm not making fun of you, Ash. I just think it's funny how different you are from everyone else in Bluebell."

Ash looked out the window. "It's almost noon, I have got to get going."

I still envied the way he could tell time by looking at the sun, but I didn't say anything about it. "Don't tell your mom I'm out of bed yet."

He smiled. "Your secret is safe with me." And I really trusted him. I felt my secret was safe.

We said our farewells, and I felt myself exhausted already. I guess I really had been worn out by the last few days' events. I lie down on top of the blankets, and fell asleep quickly with my boots still on my feet.

The next morning was my first rainy one in Bluebell. I figured it was good for the flowers, but not really good for me. I jogged from my house to each barn in turn, ducking under the eaves for cover. All the effort didn't help much. I found myself soaked nevertheless. I fed all the animals, which were huddled safely together inside the barn, away from the impending rain. I must have been taking good care of them for I was once again rewarded with eggs and milk. Gunter's wool looked a little bit thicker, and I wondered if that meant it was closer to time to shear her.

When all my furry friends were situated, I found myself wandering aimlessly around my house. For the first time since I had moved, I was bored. I discovered an envelope full of money sitting on the table. Rutger had put a small piece of paper in it, reminding me this was my shipping bin money and that it would be here every morning as long as I had put animal products in the night previous. It really worked the same way as the shipping bin in Konohana, except I couldn't place crops in this one.

My mind kept remembering the way the bloody rain had felt and how realistic the fat drops of red were. I hated how I could live in my imagination so easily. I worried frequently about Georgia, even though I knew she was fine.

The next few days were dreary, and time passed without much interaction with the other Bluebell villagers. My animals were producing eggs and milk almost double what they were before, and lots of products went to the shipping bin. Occasionally, I noticed a few people wanted fresh farm goods, which I gave to them, for their own price. Not a morning passed where I didn't receive money for my shipping achievements, and I began to store all of my money beneath my bed, inside my old Konohana boots. At least they had found a good use in Bluebell. The money piled up really quickly, and I found myself wishing to spend it. There was one place I needed to go, and one person I dreaded talking to. I ended up visiting him anyway.

Grady's house was warm and cozy. Squat, printed furniture lounged around in all the corners, and a familiar, sweet horsey smell lingered in the air. Grady was standing behind the counter, as if he had waiting all day to see me. "Hello Kenz," He told me as he motioned for me to walk up to the counter. The house had almost the same set-up as Kana's house, which bothered me a little.

"Good morning, Grady." I felt a sweet smile spread across my face as I remembered the fatherly aura he omitted. Why was I so nervous to talk to him? It wasn't my fault Georgia got hurt. And besides, I liked Grady.

"Same to you, Kenz. So, was there something you were hoping to buy today?"

"Actually, yes. I was wanting to get that carriage fixed."

"To get it up in running, you only need to pay 3,000G."

An expression of delight spread across my face. I could pay the fee, with 2000G left to spare. I slid the money onto the counter in front of Grady.

"Well, seems like things at the farm are going great," Grady said as he admired the large pile of coins in front of him.

"They are. I really love all the animals; they've been keeping me company so I don't get lonely. And they sure are little money makers."

"That they are, Kenz that they are."

"So you really can fix the carriage?"

"I can. It will be a piece of cake. Of course, I do need a few days in your ranch to work on it."

"No problem. Make it your own home."

Grady smiled. "I'll be over in a few hours, just let me gather the supplies."

"Sounds great."

"So how is Maverick treating you? I heard you went on a ride with Georgia the other day." I was amazed he didn't even acknowledge the "accident" part of that day.

"Oh, Grady, I love him so much. He's just the sweetest thing, and a blast to ride. I can never thank you enough."

"I am so glad to hear that."

"Yep. Well I've got to be going." I was edging towards the door.

"Kenz, wait a moment. I know you probably don't want me to bring this up, but I feel like I need to. What happened the other day…I know it wasn't your fault. Actually, I want to thank you for being there for Georgia. If you hadn't done what you did…She might have lost so much blood that she would have…Well anyway, thank you Kenz."

"You're welcome Grady. It's no problem." I turned and made my way for the door, listening to Grady's cheerful goodbye.

After that little conversation, the world seemed a little sunnier. The flowers danced on their stems in the light wind, and I heard songbirds chirping overhead. But a truly wondrous thing was waiting for me in my front yard.

After all those days of rain, the small marguerite sprouts had grown buds. The small white petal bundles were hidden slightly beneath bright green leaves. But one of the flowers had blossomed sooner than the rest. A small yellow pollen center peeked out from beneath many thin white petals. My first marguerite was done growing. The sight of the minute yet magnificent flower took my breath away. If this small, delicate thing could grow and live in Bluebell, than so could I. The precious flower was a sign that I could, and would, survive.


End file.
